


For The Light To Shine

by Sportscandycollective



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Awkwardness, Blood, Blood and Injury, Burglary, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Gun Violence, Injury, Kidnapping, M/M, Platonic Cuddling, Prison, Put a huge ? after that last one lol, Rescue Missions, Reunions, Robbie can't do feelings, Secret Crush, Secrets, Sleepy Cuddles, Tags Contain Spoilers, Warnings May Change, eventual angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-14
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-03-31 06:11:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 41,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13969029
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sportscandycollective/pseuds/Sportscandycollective
Summary: Sportacus, as a hero, is known for being many things: kind, loyal, caring, brave, and overall good. That's what he's known for and what he's championed for.But when a dark figure from his past reappears, the truth of Sportacus's past is revealed, and a certain villain is along for the ride.NOTICE: PLEASE DO NOT REPOST MY WORK ONTO OTHER WEBSITES.**ON HIATUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE**





	1. Spilled Ink

The sun rose and the rooster crowed, signaling the start of another day for Sportacus.

The hero sat straight up and stretched, feeling refreshed from his restful night of sleep. He smiled at the sunny, blue sky visible in his ship's viewport.  
Yes, it was going to be another beautiful day.  
"Time to get up!" Sportacus announced as he leapt from his bed, handspringing and flipping over to the center of his ship.  
He landed and called for his toothbrush. He hummed a song as he brushed carefully.  
"Ship, any letters from the kids yet?" He asked, voice slightly muffled by his toothbrush.  
" _No new letters yet, Sportacus_." The ship answered dutifully.  
Sportacus nodded, finishing his teeth brushing. Today must be a calmer day, given that over the last few days he almost always woke up to a letter from the kids. It could be about a friendship issue, or an actual emergency, but nevertheless he would wake up to a letter. So, him waking up to no letter? He supposed this would mean a less chaotic day.

Well, this didn't bother Sportacus. He could get more practice in instead.

"Ball!" He called, a soccer ball ejecting from the wall.  
It soared through the air, with Sportacus catching it just before it clocked him upside the head.  
For the next hour or so, kicking the ball about, practicing some of his trick shots and shoring up on his aim.  
Right before he started wondering if something was up, given how quiet his morning had been, his crystal began to flash and beep.  
"Someone's in trouble!" He stated, doing his signature move and running towards the door.  
The door flipped down, creating a platform. Sportacus was about to reach for the bungie rope when something large and very much _smoking_ blew past, nearly knocking him to the floor.  
"What was that?!" He asked, dazed.  
A chorus of screams originating from the flaming, flying thing answered his question. The flaming aircraft swerved and corkscrewed, dipping down past the clouds once more.  
Lips thinning, Sportacus dashed back into his airship and hopped into the skutla, pulling down his goggles. Pressing the ejection button, the skutla detached from the main ship, dropping for several feet until Sportacus's pedaling brought it to a steady hover. Kicking into high gear, Sportacus pedaled faster as the skutla zipped through the sky, diving straight after the aircraft.

Sportacus pulled his collar over his mouth as the air filled with the choking, black smoke. Vaguely through the screen of smog, he could see three pairs of arms flailing and swinging about, the noise cut with the cries of the kids.  
Sportacus pedaled into high gear, keeping his steering wheel as stable as possible to build up momentum. Climbing down, the skutla built its speed, slowly trailing close to the tail of the aircraft. By the back, he could finally see one of the kids, Ziggy.  
"Sportacus!" Ziggy cried.  
"Grab my hand!" Sportacus said, holding out his hand.  
Ziggy quickly took the hero's hand, yelping as he was yanked out of the smoking aircraft. Sportacus scooched to the side, allowing the boy to have some room, as he continued pedaling.  
Next he reached Stephanie, who almost leapt into his skutla.  
"Pixel! Get out of there, it's gonna crash!" Pleaded Stephanie.  
"Wait, I can save this! I can get it to land!" Pixel said feverishly, wrestling with the controls.  
"Pixel, there isn't time!" Begged Stephanie.  
"Take my hand, Pixel!" Urged Sportacus, stretching as far as he could.  
Pixel looked uneasy, glancing back at all his hard work, before he reluctantly took the hero's hand, being pulled into the safety of the skutla.

Sportacus, with all three kids safe inside his skutla, pulled back on the controls, curving away from the ground and back up into the air. The flaming aircraft crashed into the earth, crumbling into a firey heap, sparks flinging from its melting motor.  
"Aww man..." Pixel said sadly, gazing at his work.  
Stephanie offered her friend a smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.  
"It'll be okay, Pixel. We can always build another machine, and we can fix what went wrong with that one!" She said.  
Sportacus cringed.  
"Maybe you should wait so I can be there next time." He suggested.  
Pixel nodded.  
"That would be good." He noted.  
"Yeah, that sounds safer." Stephanie agreed.  
"Plus we should wear helmets." Ziggy said thoughtfully, rubbing a small bump on his head.

Sportacus swung the skutla down and set it to hover a few feet above the ground. He helped the three kids get safely to the ground before he hopped out of his own aircraft.  
Stephanie barely got a moment to catch her bearings before she was pulled into a crushing hug.  
"Stephanie! Oh thank goodness you're okay!" Mayor Meanswell said.  
"Oof! Sorry to worry you Uncle!" Stephanie said.  
Stingy and Trixie ran up next.  
"Man that was awesome! Those flames got HUGE! They were _green_! How is that possible?" Trixie asked with a grin.  
"Probably a reaction with something in the engine." Pixel stated with a weak smile.  
"Well, I'm glad that wasn't my whirligig. Otherwise I might've been angrier." Stingy noted, pausing as he received a nasty look from Trixie. "Uh, sorry, I'm glad you're all safe."  
"All thanks to Sportacus, the best hero ever!" Ziggy gushed, hugging Sportacus's leg.  
Sportacus blushed a little from embarrassment, but laughed nonetheless.  
"I wouldn't say that, but thank you Ziggy!" He responded.  
" 'Wouldn't say that'? Don't be so modest Sportacus! You're, like, the greatest! You're always there to help us!" Said Trixie.  
"Trixie has a point, Sportacus. You do a lot for everyone in LazyTown. That must make you at least a pretty awesome hero." Stephanie said.  
Sportacus chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Well, thank you!" He said, smiling.

"Sportacus! Over here!"  
Sportacus and the kids turned, seeing the news crew that now stood nearby. Sportacus also thought he'd seen a periscope, but it had vanished by the time he glanced back over.  
"Benny Buddy from Local News! Tell us, just how did you pull off such a daring rescue?" asked Benny, holding out a microphone.  
Sportacus smiled and nodded.  
"I have my skutla! It detaches from my airship up there, so I can rescue people!" He explained, pointing to his skutla.  
Benny and his camera woman admired his skutla for a moment before turning their attention back to the hero.  
"Sportacus, you really have done so much to benefit LazyTown. You've been paramont in the 'get active' initiative and getting people to eat sportscandy. For our audience back home, what do you believe makes a hero as great as you?" He asked.  
Sportacus's smile faded slightly as he shifted in his spot.  
"Well, I wouldn't call myself great. Just 'slightly above average', which is a good trait to have as a hero. But I guess I would say...being a good person helps. Heroes are good people who care about others, and that's what makes a great hero." He answered.  
He paused as he felt something tug at his bracer. He looked over to see Ziggy watching expectantly.  
"Sportacus! Once you're done talking to the news people, do you want to play hopscotch with us?" He asked, bouncing up and down.

Sportacus grinned.  
"Of course! Though we should first clean up the wreckage." Sportacus said, gesturing to the still flaming pile of metal.  
Ziggy cringed.  
"Oh, heh heh, right. How about after that?"  
Sportacus nodded.  
"After clean up, of course!" He said.  
"I'll get the cleaning supplies!" offered Stingy with a giddy laugh as he darted back towards his house.  
Sportacus smiled to the reporters.  
"I'm sorry, I think I'm needed. I hope you got all you needed!" He said.  
Benny smiled.  
"Oh, no worries. I think we're good." He answered, before turning and walking towards the news van, tailed closely by the camerawoman.  
Sportacus only had a moment to wonder about Benny before he was pulled away to help with the clean-up.

\--

Sportacus returned home that night tired and sweaty. As soon as he climbed aboard his airship, he jogged towards the bath unit hidden away in a closet. Who knew that cleaning up aircraft debris and playing multiple games of hopscotch and football would get you so dirty?  
As Sportacus scrubbed the last of the conditioner out of his hair, his ear perked up at the sound of something metallic clattering against the floor.  
" _Sportacus, you have received a letter._ " The ship reported.  
"I did? At this hour?" He asked, glancing at the clock.  
It was a quarter to eight. The kids were inside by now and no one was doing much outside of preparing for bed.  
He paused, listening for his crystal, but heard nothing.  
He bit his lip, slowly turning off the water as he reached for his towel.

He dried off quickly, throwing on a robe as he crossed over to the mail tube that came to rest in a corner of the ship.  
Warily, he picked the tube off the ground, bouncing it from hand to hand to feel for any weight inconsistencies.  
Nothing. It felt as heavy as any regular letter from the kids.  
He didn't like feeling so paranoid, but given how late this letter had arrived he couldn't help but feel a little nervous.  
Perhaps it was just one of the kids, and they'd been spooked by Robbie in his dinosaur costume again? It was a possibility.  
"I guess I got mail..." He said quietly, popping the cap off the tube.  
Carefully, he slipped the rolled-up letter out of the tube, tossing the tube to the side. He unrolled the letter, smoothing out its creases as he finally started to read the letter.

He froze once he finished the first sentence, the blood draining from his face.

"Oh...oh no..." He said near silently, his eyes fixed wide with terror and staring at the letter.

The message was short and cryptic, written in bright red ink. It was only, just barely two sentences, but it chilled every bone in Sportacus's body.

THAT'S OUR AIRSHIP

WE FOUND YOU

And underneath those two simple sentences was a symbol, drawn in the same red ink. It was a circle with an eye inside it, its pupil slit like a cat or snake's.  
Sportacus let the letter flutter to the ground.  
" _Sportacus, your heart rate has skyrocketed. Is everything okay?_ " Asked the ship.  
Sportacus swallowed thickly as his mouth increasingly felt like sandpaper. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears.  
" _Sportacus? Are you -_ "  
"Ship, I need you to activate emergency protocols. Keep your scanners on the town tonight, and let me know if any suspicious characters pop up in or near the town." Sportacus said quickly, pacing back towards the shower.  
" _Affirmative. If this unit may ask, what is the matter?_ "  
Sportacus sighed sharply, the door to the washroom closing behind him. He quickly slipped on his pajamas before answering the ship, exiting the bathroom.  
" _They_ are back. At least, I think they are. I'm hoping they're not, because if they are back, we're both in very serious trouble." He said, walking towards the newly revealed bed.  
" _And_ they _are?_ " Asked the ship.  
Sportacus, realizing how frazzled he felt, sat on the edge of the bed.  
"Primal. It's them. They're back." He said, his voice shaking.

The ship paused.

" _Try and get some sleep Sportacus. This unit will keep scanners running at 100% capacity all night._ "  
Sportacus nodded, falling back onto his blanket.  
"Thank you." He said, forcing his eyes shut.

\--

In quite a contrast to yesterday, Sportacus woke up feeling somehow more tired than he'd felt last night. It was one of those sleeps that drained energy rather than restored it, leaving Sportacus feeling two or three steps behind the natural pace of the day.  
Laying in bed, the clock ticking past the time he'd usually start his routine, he rubbed at his eyes.  
He, of course, had a good reason to lose so much sleep. He couldn't silence his worries and fears over the seeming return of Primal, as well as the threatening letter. They clearly wanted him and he had an idea for why, but he couldn't help worrying that their plan extended beyond just him. He worried about the kids, Mayor Meanswell, Ms. Busybody, and Robbie. Would Primal really hurt his friends just to get to him?  
He'd have to trust they wouldn't.  
"Ship, did you find anything last night?" He asked.  
" _No suspicious activity was detected last night._ " The ship reported.  
Sportacus gave a small grunt, slowly easing himself upright. His head still felt heavy, and the pillow was quite effectively calling for his return.  
But he wouldn't fall for his bed's call today; he had a job to do, Primal or not.

Hopping out of bed, Sportacus jogged over to his food station and fished out an apple. As he ate, a letter popped up from the floor.  
Usually, this would excite Sportacus, but today he simply felt nervous.  
Without a word, he caught the tube in mid-air, setting his apple down to pop the cap off. Taking a deep breath, Sportacus pulled the letter out and unrolled it, wondering what vague threat Primal would have next.

Much to his relief, it was just a letter from the mayor.

" _Sportacus,_

_Please come down to the sports park._

_-MM_ "

Now this sort of work Sportacus was ready for.  
He finished off the rest of his apple and, doing his signature move, ran to the door.  
"Door!" He called, the platform extending once more.  
He leapt through the air, spinning and flipping before landing straight in the park's center, effectively startling the mayor as he yelped and dropped his stack of papers.  
Sportacus immediately went to work fishing the loose papers from the air and off the ground, stacking them neatly once more.  
"I'm sorry that I scared you!" Said Sportacus with a laugh, handing the stack to the mayor.  
"O-Oh, it's fine! I just wasn't, um, expecting you to come from the sky! Well, I know you _live_ up in the air, but oh my...that was a bit startling!" Said Mayor Meanswell.  
Sportacus smiled and shook his head.  
"Is everything okay mayor?" He asked.  
"Oh! Yes! I just wanted to tell you that the children are planning a lovely 'thank you' party for your work over the years! I'm told there'll be sportscandy, and games, and even dancing! It sounds absolutely wonderful." Mayor Meanswell said.  
"Really?" asked Sportacus.  
"Oh yes! And the best part is it's a surprise party! Oh you'll be so surprised when you enter my home and see all the streamers and balloons and..." Mayor Meanswell continued, before he stopped himself. "...oh, wait, oh dear I wasn't supposed to let you know was I?"  
Sportacus laughed.  
"No worries mayor, I'm sure I'll still be surprised." He said.  
"Oh! Thank you, Sportacus. I wouldn't want the children to be disappointed that you aren't surprised."  
"You're welcome mayor, and I wouldn't want to disappoint the children either!" Sportacus said.

Something rustled in the bushes, catching Sportacus's attention. He spun on his heel, staring warily at a nearby bush.  
"Sportacus? Are - "  
Sportacus hushed the mayor, watching the bush.  
The bush continued to rustle and shake, sending loose leaves into the air. Almost one agonizing minute later, the rustling stopped.  
Both Sportacus and Mayor Meanswell were frozen in their places.  
It was all for naught, however, once the LazyTown kitten emerged from the bush, mewling and toddling about clumsily.  
Sportacus sighed in relief, dropping his defensive stance.  
"It's just the kitten." He said to himself, shaking his head.  
"Is everything okay Sportacus?" asked Mayor Meanswell.  
Sportacus thought a moment, wondering if he should tell the mayor about the letter he received last night. Should he alert the whole town about the possibility of Primal's presence, even if he doesn't know who exactly is being targeted? If he was the only one in trouble, was it worth warning and panicking the entire town? Or, less of a possibility, maybe this was just a terrible joke, maybe from Robbie. Perhaps Primal wasn't even in the town. After all, the ship detected nothing last night. And given how odd Robbie has been acting lately, it isn't completely unlikely...  
"N-No, just didn't sleep well last night. I must be jumpy." Said Sportacus uneasily.  
The mayor nodded.  
"Well, I'm sure today will be a much more relaxed day compared to yesterday! Perhaps you can take time to rest?"

As soon as the mayor had finished speaking, Sportacus's crystal began to flash and beep.  
"Or, perhaps not..." said Mayor Meanswell.  
Sportacus laughed.  
"That's my cue! I'll see you at the party!" He said, running off towards the emergency.  
Mayor Meanswell waved as Sportacus vanished from sight.

\--

He had been acting odd. Robbie was fully aware of that.

Actually, much of his less active behavior was completely _because_ of that original, odd behavior.  
To put it simply, Robbie hadn't created a plan to get rid of Sportacus or stop the distribution of sportscandy in almost a month.  
For reasons that were still lost to Robbie, he'd lost the energy and motivation to attempt any meaningful action to quiet the noisy activity of the ironically named LazyTown.  
Not that he didn't care about the noise, he was still bothered by it, but for whatever reason he just didn't feel the same drive.  
Or more, specifically, he didn't feel the same drive to get rid of Sportacus.

Robbie sat in his chair, encompassed in its fluffy, hideous orange, and tapped his fingers against his arms. His face was locked in a perpetual frown, his forehead wrinkled in thought. He grumbled to himself, sifting through memories and thoughts he'd had over the last few years. The ones that pertained to Sportacus, at least.  
At first, he hated the hero as much as any villain should. Sportacus had messed up his beautifully lazy utopia, and that was simply unacceptable! For so many years, that was the beginning and end to Robbie's feelings.  
He wasn't sure exactly when or how things changed, but he pinned down the potential start to about a year ago.  
Just, at some point, pulling schemes on Sportacus stopped being fun.  
Instead, Robbie felt a little...guilty?  
A little bad?  
Perhaps.  
But that wasn't just it.  
It made him feel more pathetic than usual, but he'd have to admit that seeing the hero brought a...smile to his face.  
Maybe the hero's infectious enthusiasm had finally ensnared him in its gigantic, thorny claws, and he'd too start singing songs about teamwork and friendship and dancing in the flowers.

Robbie gagged at the very thought. That mustn't be it.

Still, _something_ had changed, and it was driving Robbie up the wall.  
He glanced about his lair, looking at the crumpled pieces of paper and several chalkboards, completely covered in diagrams, notes, and a few less than flattering drawings of Sportacus.  
All this work over several days, yet still no answer.  
Robbie grumbled and bopped his head angrily.  
"What is wrong with you Robbie?!" He said, swiftly standing to his feet. "Why are you wasting your time thinking about that flippity Sportaloon? The more you think of him, the more you lose out on some prime napping time!"  
Of course, even if he _tried_ to nap, he wouldn't be able to. Not when that darn hero kept intruding on his dreams of pastries and hammocks.  
He realized that quickly, and instead exasperatedly flopped back into his arm chair, resuming the exact same pose he had earlier.  
"This is what the great Robbie Rotten has become: too distracted to even _attempt_ to get rid of his own nemesis!" He bemoaned. "I have _got_ to get a hold of myself!"

As if to answer his distress, the speakers dropped down from his ceiling, blaring the current conversation the mayor was having.  
" _Oh yes! And the best part is it's a surprise party! Oh you'll be so surprised when you enter my home and see all the streamers and balloons and..._ "  
Robbie's gaze switched up to the speakers, his frown deepening.  
"Oh how _lovely_. Baldy and the brats are planning yet another party for Sportaflop and his muscles! Why can't they throw me a party? I've done some great, lazy things in my life!" Robbie whined, pouting like a five year old.  
He growled, before sitting up straight, the frown fading as an idea crossed his mind.  
He smiled devilishly.  
"So, Sportadork is going to a party tonight? That means he'll be nice and distracted. This is a perfect opportunity to make that elf leave town _forever_!" Robbie cheered, laughing. "This is just what I need to get myself back in business!"

He strode over to a blackboard that had dropped from the ceiling. Somehow his plan was already written out in chalk.

"I'll fire myself out of this cannon, right at Sportacus's airship! I'll climb up with my Super-Sunction Pad 6000's and look for the panel to the engine. A little fiddling here and there, then down it'll go! Sportacus will have to get his ship repaired; hopefully out of town!" Robbie said gleefully.  
He paused, a sour taste forming in his mouth at that last statement.  
Nevertheless, he shook his head and formed a smile.  
"Out of town! Yes! Completely! For at least a week! Yes! That is...good. Good, GOOD. Yes! Hah!" Robbie said, striding towards his supply closet to dig out his long buried cannon.

\--

The kids had done a spectacular job of decorating Stephanie's home. The ceiling was decked with streamers in a variety of colors, creating a veritable rainbow across the room, dotted with balloon clouds. A few of those balloons formed fog around the partiers' feet, and a disco light reflected colorful spots of light across the walls and windows.  
A brilliant "cake", made of carefully constructed sportscandy, sat with pieces missing on the countertop, a bowl of sugarless punch off to the side.  
Music was pumping the home, and the kids ran about, playing games like pin the tail on the donkey and musical chairs.  
Sportacus, after participating in a few games, had stepped off to the side. He adjusted the party hat that sat awkwardly on top of his usual cap, uttering a laugh as he watched Stingy accidentally sit on Pixel trying to get the last chair.  
His smile faded as he remembered his airship's scan, and he opened the compartment on his wrist brace to glance at its display.

Still nothing. The scans were coming up clean.

He frowned, biting his lip as he tapped his display, wondering if there was a glitch or bug messing with the scans.  
As much as he wanted to believe that letter was a prank, he couldn't shake the feeling that it wasn't.  
And that thought made his stomach churn.

"Hey Sportacus!"  
Sportacus nearly stumbled forward as a child-sized weight slid into his side, sending him off-balance. A bit of his punch splashed onto the ground, staining a pink spot into the carpet.  
Stephanie's eyes widened and she took a step back as Sportacus looked at her, his eyes also wide.  
"Oh! I'm sorry Sportacus, did I startle you?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.  
Sportacus stilled himself and forced a smile.  
"A little! You must be a ninja!" He joked.  
Stephanie laughed.  
"Well not yet! Maybe one day!" She said. "I just wanted to make sure you're doing okay. You seemed a little...distracted?"  
Sportacus paled, his smile fading.  
Stephanie, noticing this, furrowed her brow.  
"Is something bothering you?"  
Sportacus cringed, thinking carefully. Would he really tell Stephanie, a young, eight year-old girl about his worries concerning Primal before he told the mayor of the town? It didn't make sense yet...he still felt compelled to tell her. Then again, Stephanie has always been a bright girl, and would probably not panic at news like this.  
"Sportacus?"  
Sportacus sighed.  
"Well...it's just - "

"Hey Pinky! You said you got a new music mixer, right?" Trixie said, barging in-between the two.  
Stephanie smiled and nodded.  
"Yeah! It's in my room!" She said. "I'll get it in just a minute."  
"No need to wait." Sportacus said with a weak smile. "You can go get the mixer, then we can talk."  
Stephanie gave him a confused look.  
"Are you sure? This can wait." She offered.  
"I'll be fine! I want to see your music mixer too." Sportacus said enthusiastically.  
Stephanie looked at Trixie, who just shrugged and tugged at her arm.  
"W-Well okay! Be right back!" Said Stephanie, running and laughing off with Trixie.  
Sportacus sighed and sunk against the wall, internally cursing himself for yet again throwing off discussion of the inevitable.  
This was becoming a nasty habit.  
Then again, at least this gave him a chance to really figure out how to tell such a young kid that a group like Primal might be wandering around their town.  
Now to figure that part out.  
"Sportacus! It's your turn for pin the tail on the donkey!" Called Pixel, waving the blindfold.

Sportacus looked over, giving a small smile to the kids.  
"Well, maybe in a minute. I'm, uh, thinking about something." He said.  
"Sportacus, this is a _party_! You're not supposed to be thinking of stuff! You're supposed to be having fun!" Stingy said, yanking the hero over to the rest of the group.  
Sportacus wasn't given a second chance to object as he knelt down, feeling one of the kids tie the blindfold over his eyes and hand him the pin.  
"Just try to pin it on the right spot!" Ziggy encouraged.  
Sportacus nodded, holding the pin straight out in front of him. He took several careful steps forward, feeling at the air for the wall.  
He could hear the kids giggling behind him.  
"You're going the wrong way Sportacus! To your right!" Pixel said between laughs.  
"Oh! Got it." Sportacus said, turning carefully on his heel.  
Indeed, he could feel the smooth texture of the wall under his palm. He slid along, feeling about until he could feel the rough texture of the paper's edge.  
Licking his lips, he prepared himself, steadying his grip on the pin before he plunged it deep into the paper.  
"Did I get it?" Sportacus asked, pulling his blindfold up.  
All three kids cringed.  
"I think you speared the donkey." Stingy pointed out.  
Sportacus looked over, eyes widening once he saw where he'd pinned the tail. Right through the chest; definitely not a spot for the tail.  
Sportacus blushed a pink color, chuckling and shaking his head.  
"I might be off a little." He admitted.  
"A little?" Said Stingy as the other two kids laughed harder.  
Sportacus, finally feeling himself relax, laughed with them, dropping the blindfold.

Between the sound of the music and laughs, a sound pierced. A sharp, shrill sound. A white flashed brightly, breaking through the rainbow of the disco ball.

Sportacus stopped, his face going white once he realized what it was.  
"Someone's in trouble!" He said.  
Before anyone else could respond, a terrible crash echoed through the house, causing everyone present to turn in its direction.  
A high-pitched scream pierced the noise.  
"Oh no..." Sportacus said quietly, sprinting towards the back of the house.  
"Sportacus!" Said the mayor, following after the hero.  
Sportacus skidded around corners, making a beeline towards Stephanie's bedroom. The hallway had gone eerily quiet, save for a rhythmic thudding that could be heard in her room's direction.  
Sportacus came to a stop in front of the bedroom door, only hesitating once he heard clattering and muffled screams coming from the closet.  
He threw open the door and flicked on the light, eyes widening and mouth dropping once he saw Trixie on the ground, bound and gagged.  
He slid to her level, swiftly working with the ropes' knots, until a particularly insistent grunt from Trixie got him to stop.  
Giving an apologetic look, he removed Trixie's gag.  
"Go save Pinky! I'm fine! She's the one in trouble!" Stated Trixie, looking up with watery eyes.  
Sportacus's face went white, and he immediately left Trixie and ran towards Stephanie's room, nearly toppling over the poor mayor as he did.  
"STEPHANIE!" Sportacus yelled, throwing open the door.

He froze. 

The room had grown cold from the draft flowing through the newly broken window. Stephanie's clothing and belongings laid scattered across the ground in various states of repair, her bed nearly flipped over. Footprints dotted the carpet in criss-cross, circular patterns, and a dent was present in one of the walls.  
On one, undented wall, a message was painted in red paint.

STOP HIDING OR

PINK WILL BECOME RED

A circle with an eye was painted underneath the message.

Sportacus was too late.


	2. The Confrontation

Wading through the pool of debris, Sportacus slowly approached the painted message with a shaking hand. He felt the paint, pulling back a hand lightly blotted with said red paint.  
His mouth had gone dry, and a weight settled heavily in his stomach, leaving him dizzy. Hand trembling, he clenched his fist, thoughts running crazily to pull and tug together a plan with little success.  
“Sportacus? W-What happened?” asked Ziggy quietly, taking his first, careful step into Stephanie’s room.  
Sportacus’s attention shot to the young boy, his heart dropping as he looked into the boy’s watery eyes.  
Trixie pushed in front of her friends, her now freed from her binds.  
“Sportacus, who were those guys?! What did they want with Stephanie?! What the heck is going on?!” She yelled, her eyes wide and face paled.  
“Guys? What guys?” asked Pixel.  
“The guys who took Stephanie! W-We were just in here, and Stephanie was getting her music mixer. T-They frickin’ jumped through the window! I-I tried to fight them, but they were really big and strong! They must’ve taken Stephanie with them!” Trixie explained.  
“But who? Who did it??” Asked Stingy.  
“Primal.” Sportacus finally said.

All four kids turned to look at Sportacus, and all four had their brows knit together.  
“Who?” asked Stingy.

“Sportacus! I-I think you need to see this.” Called the mayor.  
Sportacus looked over the kids before giving them an apologetic glance.  
“Come with me.” He said quietly, carefully pushing past.  
The kids followed along with uneasy looks, reluctant to leave the destroyed bedroom.  
Down the hall the group walked, until they reached Mayor Meanswell, who was currently sweating out of his suit. His front window had a huge hole broken through it, and a piece of paper was clumsily tied to a softball-sized rock.  
“T-This just came through the window. I-I didn’t see who threw it, b-but I think it’s important. Do you?” asked the mayor.  
Sportacus bit his lip and nodded.  
Mayor Meanswell’s face shifted to a shade of green as he shakily removed the letter from the rock, smoothing it out before he started to read.  
“To the mayor of LazyTown, we have taken your niece hostage…!” Mayor Meanswell said, his voice yelping at the last word, his hands accidentally crumpling the edges of the letter.  
The kids gasped.  
Sportacus crossed his arms, his expression growing strained.  
“We will return your niece safely only if you cooperate with one of two choices. Either one, you deliver our demanded sum of _one billion dollars_?!?!” Mayor Meanswell yelled, sweat dripping off his forehead. “Oh my! I don’t believe the entire _country_ has that much money!”  
“T-Then what do we do? We have to get Stephanie back!” Ziggy asked, his eyes watering.  
“W-W-Well, there’s a second option,” Mayor Meanswell said. “we either deliver the money, or…or Sportacus has to meet with them at ‘headquarters’.”  
Sportacus frowned, sighing sharply as his brows knit together.  
“S-Sportacus, please, you don’t have to go. I-I’m certain we can figure out some sort of monetary amount…”

“I’ll go, Mayor. I’ve had experience with Primal. I can handle them.” Sportacus said firmly, patting the mayor’s shoulder.  
Mayor Meanswell sputtered, looking nervously at the hero.  
“B-But Sportacus! These people sound _really_ dangerous! Y-You could get hurt!”  
Sportacus gave the mayor a weak smile.  
“It’s okay mayor! I’ve dealt with Primal before, like I said.” He said.  
“But who _are_ they?” Trixie asked angrily.  
Sportacus’s smile faded, and he sighed quietly.  
“Primal is…is a criminal group. They’re bad, really bad. And dangerous.” He said.  
“Then we’ll come with you! We can help you!” Ziggy offered enthusiastically.  
The other three kids nodded, taking a step forward.  
Sportacus gave a small, soft laugh and shook his head, holding out his hands.  
“I appreciate your help kids, but I really need to go alone for this one.” He said.  
The kids’ mouths dropped open, and they prepared their protests.  
“But - !”  
“I’m sorry, but no ‘buts’.” Sportacus said, shaking his head. “I don’t want to risk any of you getting hurt.”

Sportacus walked away from the group before the children could continue to argue, their anger subsiding to worry.  
“Sportacus?” said Ziggy.  
Sportacus stopped and looked behind him.  
“Be careful, okay?” He asked.  
“Yeah, be safe Sportacus!” Pixel said.  
“Kick those Primal guys’ butts!” Trixie said with a grin.

Sportacus smiled.  
“Thank you.” He said, before he ran out the door.

\--

With one last grunt of effort, Robbie shoved the cannon into position, aimed straight at the airship hovering up high in the sky.

Robbie laughed and dusted his hands against each other, adjusting the pack on his back filled with various mechanical tools, all perfect for sabotaging a certain elf’s home and ship.  
“It’s perfect! With the cannon aimed directly at Sportacow’s airship,” He cackled. “I can launch myself right onto the ship and stick with these!”  
He held up a pair of suction cups, strapped to his palms with extra-strength Velcro so they wouldn’t fall off during his flight.  
Standing up straight, Robbie gave one last, dramatic salute to some, invisible general before he pulled his goggles over his eyes and strode towards the cannon.  
Hoisting himself upright, Robbie grunted and groaned as he shimmied and wiggled his way up and into the cannon’s mouth, crawling until his feet hit the back of the cannon.  
“Ready and…FIRE!” Robbie shouted gleefully.

Right on cue, the cannon fired with a spectacular cloud of smoke and sparks, with Robbie careening into the air with its blast.

Robbie, despite knowing this was exactly what he wanted, still screamed as he flew through the air, the airship approaching at breakneck speed.  
With the airship growing so close, Robbie quickly pressed the tiny red buttons on his palms, expanding the suction cups to full size.  
Throwing his hands out in front of him, Robbie winced as he prepared for impact.  
The impact was…less than soft. His suction cups worked like a charm and, luckily, Robbie clung hard to the airship. However, the momentum rattled up and down his body, rattling his teeth and leaving him feeling sick and dizzy.  
“Gah! Next time, I need to work on a cushioning system.” Robbie said, shaking out the last of the jitters.  
Now situated, Robbie giggled as he swung his pack around, digging out a screwdriver and wire clippers.  
“Here we go Sportaspud! Time for your little ship to go on a voyage to terra firma!” Robbie laughed, working quickly to unscrew a side panel.  
He made swift work of removing all eight screws, each one tumbling to the earth, the panel soon joining them.  
Robbie whistled a low whistle, snipping his wire clippers in anticipation. A rainbow of varying wires lay waiting and ready to be cut apart. Robbie just had to pick which one he’d snip first.  
“So many choices! Which wire to cut first…” Robbie mused to himself.

“Ladder!”

Robbie yelped as he heard something underneath him, the wire clippers tumbling out of his hand.  
Below him, the ladder unrolled, falling to the ground. He could see the ladder move about, signaling the hero’s return.  
Robbie frowned.  
“What? He’s back _early_?? But it’s barely even – “Robbie ranted, looking down at his watch. “ – a bit past 8, right right that loon goes to bed around 8. Right, great Robbie _good job_ can’t even get your nemesis’s bedtime right after all these years.”  
Hearing the hero clamber up the ladder, Robbie clung to the side of the ship, making himself as flat as humanly possible while he prayed that Sportacus wouldn’t spot him and chastise him for once again trying to sabotage his home.  
He could hear the hero climb up, the weighted sound growing louder as the hero drew further up. Robbie was, unconsciously, holding his breath as the hero didn’t hesitate, instead climbing up and into the ship, the ladder retracting behind him.  
Robbie let one eye look about, the realization that he’d somehow evaded a lengthy lecture from the town’s hero slowly settling in.  
He released the breath he’d held in, a giddy smile crossing his face as he laughed in relief.  
“Heh, I guess luck is finally on Robbie Rotten’s side! Now to keep working with those wires…” Robbie said, looking eagerly at the exposed wires.

He flinched and froze once more as a series of deafening, mechanical whirring and clicking began behind him. His attention slowly turned to his right, his face going white as he noticed the ship’s propellers slowly lowering into driving position.  
Robbie’s pupils shrunk to pin-pricks.  
“Spoke too soon.” He squeaked.

And as the engines revved into gear, the ship pushing through the sky, Robbie realized that luck was nowhere near his side, but it’d better be if he wanted to survive this unexpected joyride.

\--

“Ship, please load the location of Primal’s headquarters into the GPS. I’m certain I remember where it is, but I want to make sure.” Sportacus asked.  
“ _Location has been loaded successfully_.” The ship reported.

Sportacus nodded, flipping over to the ship’s controls. Pressing a button, he lowered the ship’s turbines into flight position. He began to pedal quickly and steadily, the engine whirring and revving as the airship began to crawl through the sky.  
Finally having a quiet moment, Sportacus sighed, sinking against the seat. He watched as the clouds passed by, focusing on the lovely mixture of grays, blues, and whites. He smiled; sights like these were one of his favorite parts of living up in the air.  
It was a short-lived distraction, however. Sportacus knew he couldn’t let himself grow too lax just watching the clouds; he had to keep focused on the task at hand.   
Stephanie needed him.  
“ _Sportacus, this unit is curious if you have a plan to rescue Stephanie Meanswell_.” Asked the airship.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“It’s…sort of a plan. She’s being held somewhere in the headquarters, I’m sure of that. I need to find her first.”  
“ _And after that?_ ”  
“Like I said, I have sort of a plan.” Sportacus said, cringing. “I don’t really know what to expect. This could be easy or very hard. They could have armed guards or traps, or neither or both. It’s been years.”  
“ _This unit believes it’d be safer to assume the presence of armed guards and traps rather than assume neither or just one of those options_.”  


Sportacus sighed, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.  
“Yes, you’re right. Ship, do I have any protective or defensive gear in storage?”  
“ _Analyzing…at present you have a pair of brass knuckles, a pair of ice axes, a bow and sheath of arrows, a fencing foil, and a pair of hand guards._ ”  
“That’s it?” asked Sportacus uneasily. “Nothing to protect me or Stephanie?”  
“ _Negative._ ”  
“Okay.” Sportacus sighed, his voice strained. “That all will have to do. Ship, prepare those items in a pack for me please.”  
“ _Affirmative. And Sportacus?_ ”  
“Yes ship?”  
“ _I have detected an intruder on the exterior of the airship._ ”  
Sportacus furrowed his brow.  
“An intruder? How? We’re miles above the ground!”  
“ _It appears that the intruder is hanging onto the side of the airship._ ”  
“Do we have an outside camera, so I can see who it is?”  
“ _Affirmative. Patching in video signal now._ ”

The tiny screen on the front of Sportacus’s console lit up, displaying the picture of the ship’s exterior, showing Robbie clinging to the side desperately.  
Sportacus crossed his arms and shook his head.  
“Robbie Rotten…” He said exasperatedly, pressing another button on his console.

\--

“SPORTACUS GET ME OFF YOUR STUPID AIRSHIP!” Robbie screamed, his face hurting from the rushing air and cold night.  
He clung barely to the side of the ship, only holding on by the suction cups on his hands, which he feared would lose their grip at any moment.  
The air pressure pushed against his body, straining his arms as he struggled to hold onto the ship.  
“SPORTACUS! HELP!” shouted Robbie once more, yelping as he heard the side of one suction cup finally give, his left hand flinging to his side harshly.  
“Oh no…this is the end of Robbie Rotten…” Robbie mourned, watching with widened eyes as the second of the suction cups began to give before finally losing their grip.  
Robbie shrieked, flying backwards violently, his mind full of thoughts about his inevitable, gruesome end. Who knew that the villain number one would die from falling out of the sky? Robbie couldn’t have guessed that.  
“ _Whatever spirits or gods exist out there, if you save me from this one, I_ promise _to be a better person! I’ll be nice to the br-kids! I’ll eat my sportscandy! I’ll –_ “

Robbie’s frantic begging was abruptly interrupted, however, as he was snatched out of the sky by a pair of mechanical arms that extended from the ship’s side.  
Their claws gently pulled Robbie away from the airstream and into the safety of the ship’s interior, the door closing behind him.  
Robbie’s hair finally settled back into, roughly, his usual pompadour. He smoothed it out as he tried his best to calm his breathing and heartrate.  
He let out a giddy laugh, his legs shaking from the adrenaline.  
“Ha ha, luck _is_ on my side!” Robbie exclaimed, looking up to the ceiling. “Thank you, powers that be! But I’m sorry, I think I’ll have to retract that sportscandy bit. Sorry, no offense to you, but the stuff makes me gag.”  
As if responding to his retracted bargain, Robbie flinched as he felt the ground underneath him shift, the panel below him slowly rising.  
“Agh! Okay, I’ll eat the sportscandy! I’ll eat the sportscandy! Just don’t crush me into pulp!” Shrieked Robbie as he braced his neck and head.  
“Robbie? What are you doing on my airship?”

Robbie let an eye cock open, its attention immediately shifting over to the source of the voice.  
Indeed, Robbie wasn’t crushed to bits, but was instead sitting in the center of the airship. And looking down on him, looking none too pleased, was Sportacus.  
Robbie could feel his heart flutter, which he understood as a stupid reaction and thus he ignored it in favor of standing straight up and straightening his vest.  
“S-Sportacus! I, uh, that’s a great question! But I think a better question is why you _let_ me hang on your airship for so long! That wasn’t very nice!” Robbie retorted weakly.  
Sportacus sighed tiredly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers.  
“Please Robbie, just tell me what you were thinking. I don’t have time for this right now.”  
Robbie frowned, cocking an eyebrow at the hero’s demeanor. He was sure he’d never seen the hero this…stressed before.  
“Well, uh, to be honest I might’ve, just maybe, kind of sort of, was planning to snip a few wires and crash your ship.” Robbie admitted, cringing. “But I can see that that didn’t work so I guess I’ll just get going now! You can do your little song and dance thing if you’d like even! You know, since you saved me and all.”  
Robbie waited, expecting at least a small smile and a head shake. Instead, the hero just looked at him with tired impatience.  
It made Robbie shrink back, immediately feeling a pit grow in his stomach.  
“You can’t leave the airship; we’re miles away from LazyTown by now. And I don’t have time to drop you back off.” Sportacus said, walking away and back towards the ship’s controls.

Robbie, now thoroughly confused, followed after the hero.  
“Wait, what? Why not?” He asked.  
“I have to rescue Stephanie.”  
“Wait, Pinky?? What happened to her?”  
Sportacus stopped and looked at Robbie with a disbelieving look.  
“You don’t know what happened? Not at all?”  
“Well no. To be honest, I was pretty much working on getting myself to your airship all night.” Robbie said.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“Right, that makes sense.” He said. “While you were getting to my airship, Stephanie was kidnapped by Primal. So, I’m going to get her back.”  
“Primal?” Robbie asked, raising an eyebrow at the name.  
“You don’t know about them either?” asked Sportacus.  
“Did anyone else know about them?” asked Robbie.  
“No.”  
“There you go. I’m not the only one out of the loop.” Robbie said.  
Sportacus sighed as he sat back down in his pilot’s chair.  
“Primal is…well, they’re a criminal organization. A large, complex one based in Central City that’s operated there for decades. They used to be only tied to heists and bribery, but over time expanded their operations to include more civic and large-scale crimes. Domination type of schemes.”  
“Big deals then. I’m a bit surprised I haven’t heard of them.” Robbie said, crossing his arms. “I’d like to think I’m connected to the global villain network, so a criminal group that big existing and I haven’t heard a _peep_ about them? That’s weird.”  
“Probably because they haven’t succeeded in any of their domination plans. They stick mostly to heists still and keeping their connections tight.”  
“I’d still have heard of them.”  
“I guess they’re trying to remain quiet then?” Sportacus suggested tiredly.

“Right, okay. Still doesn’t explain why they wanted Stephanie. LazyTown is kind of small potatoes for them isn’t it?” Robbie asked.  
“It is. Usually.” Sportacus said, his eyes drifting to the console. “But they took her because…I think they want to get to me.”  
Robbie snorted at the answer, earning him a stern glance from Sportacus.  
“Sorry, but it was kind of obvious. I mean, I know I’m great, but even I know most criminal organizations don’t bother with someone like me.” He said. “And as far as I can tell, Bessie and the mayor don’t seem like they’re hiding a criminal past or anything. I doubt either of them have even gotten a parking ticket.”  
That comment earned Robbie a small smile from Sportacus, which he counted as a victory to alleviating the very much heavy atmosphere in the ship. It also seemed to lift his own spirits, while temporarily, it counted.  
“Yeah, when you put it that way, it _does_ sound obvious.” Admitted Sportacus.  
“Yup, and I’m guessing you tousled with them in the past and _that’s_ why they’re after you. Am I right?” Robbie asked, crossing his arms.  
Sportacus paused, his expression straining for just the barest moment, before he uneasily nodded.  
“That...could be it.” He eventually answered.  
“Well that was easy enough to guess.” Robbie noted, sitting on the floor near the hero.  
He watched as Sportacus’s eyes drifted back down to the ground, a worried look crossing the hero’s face.

Robbie’s small smile faded at the concern in Sportacus’s eyes.  
“Um, so this Primal group’s got Stephanie, right? Will she…I mean I don’t care…or I _do_ but, well, is she going to be…okay?” He fumbled.  
Sportacus shook his head.  
“I can only hope she’ll be okay. Primal isn’t known for being nice to their prisoners.” He said softly.  
“Oh.” Robbie said, shrinking back.  
He rubbed his arm awkwardly. Internally he kicked himself for trying to keep up his usual animosity towards the children in front of the clearly distressed hero.  
As much as he found the kids annoying, they are Sportacus’s trusted friends. And with one of them captured by an incredibly dangerous criminal group, Robbie’s usual disdain should probably be curbed.  
It wouldn’t be too difficult. Robbie would be lying if he said he didn’t have some fondness for the children. Nowadays most of his angry outbursts are theatrics to keep up appearances rather than from real malice.  
True, they could still be annoying, but he’d never want any real harm to come to any of them.  
“I’m, uh, sorry.” Robbie said quietly in a near mumble.  
Sportacus looked back at Robbie, his expression softening the most minute amount.  
“I-I didn’t, you know, realize that this was – “Robbie started.

“ _Sportacus, we have arrived at Primal Headquarters_.”

Sportacus’s attention snapped up to the ceiling and he nodded. He pulled back on the airbrake and pressed a variety of buttons, setting the ship to descend.  
“Ship, do you detect anything on the ground? Anything that could be a potential threat?” He asked, passing by Robbie without even a glance.  
Robbie’s gaze drifted to the floor as he rubbed his arm awkwardly.  
“ _Negative, Sportacus. I detect no immediate or future threats in the exterior border_.”  
“Good.” Sportacus said, tossing the back onto his back before he turned to address Robbie. “Robbie, you stay right here. I’ll be back soon.”  
“Wait, you’re going in _alone_? Didn’t you just say that this Primal group is super dangerous?” Robbie asked in disbelief.  
“Yes, yes I did. But I don’t want you getting in harm’s way. It’s best if you remain here.” Sportacus said with a sigh, unsheathing his fencing foil to inspect the blade.  
“And what about you? Aren’t you kind of putting _yourself_ in harm’s way? No consideration about your own safety or anything?” Robbie asked skeptically, frowning.  
“This is just part of the job, Robbie. A hero is used to being in dangerous and impossible situations. I can manage this.” Sportacus said, turning away and towards the door.  
Robbie frowned, biting his lip. Internally he fought with conflicting desires, one a self-preserving desire, the other a strange desire to…help Sportacus?  
There goes that weird feeling yet again. The one that made Robbie’s stomach flutter.  
Shaking his head, Robbie strode ahead and in front of Sportacus.  
“Robbie, I just said to wait here. What are you doing?” The hero asked.  
“You said a hero is supposed to be used to putting themselves in harm’s way. Well, I’m a villain, and villains don’t listen to what the heroes say. You say stay here, therefore, I’m coming with you.” Robbie asserted, though he couldn’t help but feel he was justifying something to himself.  
Sportacus sighed tiredly.  
“Robbie, I don’t have time for this.”  
“Well you also don’t have time to blindly throw yourself into a potentially dangerous, life-threatening situation all alone.” Robbie stated, pausing. “And, um, you know, _I’m_ supposed to be your villain. Can’t, uh, let those Primal jerks steal my thunder by stopping you first.”

While Robbie stewed in the awkwardness of that tacked on addition, he at least felt some reprieve from the slightest smile he earned from the hero.  
Sportacus shook his head, crossing his arms.  
“I suppose you’re right. If you’re going to come with me though, you’ll need protection.” He said, tossing Robbie one of the ice axes.  
Robbie yelped as he juggled the ice axe between his hands, trying desperately not to accidentally cut himself on its sharp edges. Once he finally got a solid grip, he grinned uneasily at the hero.  
“Door!” Sportacus called out, once he confirmed that Robbie was ready.  
The two jumped out and onto the pavement, the cracked asphalt under their feet crunching as they landed.  
Robbie looked about, glancing at the broken pavement and overgrown pathways. He looked over at the Primal headquarters: a sort of warehouse sized building with ornate glass windows and a 60’s architectural style. The building, however, had seen better days. Much of the glass was cracked or shattered, the walls were dressed in drapes of ivy and thorns. A gaping hole had been bored through a giant, metal door built into the front of the building.  
Sportacus, once he finally got a good look at the building, stared with widened eyes.  
“Are you sure this is the place? It looks like no one’s been here in years.” Questioned Robbie, kicking a rock to the side.  
“There’s no doubt about it. I remember those windows.” Sportacus said quietly, stepping carefully away from the airship. “What happened to this place? It looks so…run down.”  
“Like I said, you’re absolutely sure this is where Stephanie is being held?” Robbie asked.  
Sportacus paused as he looked at a torn banner, the Primal symbol painted on its front, though it was badly faded.  
“It has to be. If not then…” Sportacus started, before shaking his head. “No. She’s here. I know it.”  
With that, Sportacus bound through the hole in the door and into the base. Robbie followed behind, though he followed with far less confidence than the hero.

The interior was just as dilapidated as the exterior, with a layer of dust coating every surface and the floors stained and ruined by rainwater and mold. The two passed by room after room, some with their doors still open. From what quick glances Robbie could gain, he ascertained that the base had been abandoned in a hurry; many of the rooms were still littered with decomposing garbage and various, personal knickknacks.  
As Robbie turned away from staring into a room, he realized that he’d lost Sportacus during his investigation. Swearing quietly to himself, Robbie picked himself up into a slow jog, looking about as he did.  
“Sportacus? Where are you?” He asked, looking side to side.  
He was so preoccupied looking for Sportacus that he failed to notice something rather sizeable on the floor, thus it managed to trip him.  
Robbie landed harshly on the ground, chest first, the air being blown out of his chest. Grunting, Robbie brought himself up and onto his knees, turning to look at whatever tripped him with a stern glare.  
Said stern glare evaporated, however, once he realized what exactly had tripped him up.  
It was a skeleton, a skeleton draped in torn and tattered clothes. Its arms were stretched out in front of it, almost like it’d been caught in a leap. A golden insignia was emblazoned on its one, intact sleeve.

Yelping, Robbie leapt to his feet and scrambled away, refusing to look back as he ran.  
Robbie panted and fumbled around corners and hallways, his search for the hero growing much more desperate after his encounter with the corpse. He stumbled about until he finally found Sportacus, who seemed to be looking rather intently into one room.  
“Sportacus? Sportacus, I saw a skeleton.”  
Sportacus didn’t even look Robbie’s way.  
Robbie frowned, furrowing his brow as he tapped Sportacus’s shoulder.  
“Sportacus?”  
Sportacus finally turned to face Robbie after a slight delay, his gaze shifting away from the room.  
“Y-Yes?” He asked.  
“I said I found a skeleton.”  
“You did? O-Oh.” Sportacus said. “That’s terrible.”  
Robbie scrunched his nose, giving the hero a look.  
“Are you okay? That’s a pretty dull reaction to me finding a _skeleton_.”  
“I-I’m sorry, I, uh, just need a minute.” Sportacus said quietly, walking a few steps away.  
Robbie, now thoroughly confused, decided to glance into the room Sportacus had so intently been looking into.

It looked like a regular bedroom. Tattered and worn posters of various, local sports teams hung from the walls. Picture frames, laying front down, were scattered atop a dusty dresser. The sheets and blankets were turned over, seemingly not being made before the base was evacuated. A teddy bear with a tiny, blue scarf sat in the center of the bed.  
Robbie quirked an eyebrow, gently pushing the door open further.  
“We should keep going, Robbie. There’s nothing in there, and I think we need to go this way.” Sportacus said, tapping Robbie’s shoulder and pointing down an adjacent hallway.  
Reluctantly, Robbie hesitated a moment, before turning and following after Sportacus.  


The two traversed the maze of hallways, passing by more skeletons and torn decorations as they walked along. As they walked, the hallway grew increasingly darker, until the two were cloaked in darkness.  
“You didn’t happen to pack a flashlight, did you Sportaflop?” asked Robbie.  
“Hold on, I should have one right here…” Sportacus said, fumbling blindly for his pack.  
His search was prematurely halted, however, as a single spotlight clicked on and illuminated a single spot in the middle of the room.  
In this single spot was a monitor, which flickered to life with the light.  
Sportacus frowned and cautiously approached the monitor.   
Robbie followed close behind, his ice axe at the ready.  
The screen hissed and crackled, the image slowly steadying to a clear image. The monitor displayed a silhouetted figure, his hands clasped together in front of him. The edges of his dark gray sleeves were visible, but the rest was cloaked in darkness.  
Sportacus immediately glared at the figure.  
“ _Hello Sportacus. Long time no see. How have you been?_ ” Asked the figure.  
“Where’s Stephanie? What have you done with her, Sabretooth?” Asked Sportacus firmly, his arms crossed.  
“ _Impatient as always I see. You really never did learn manners, did you? Can’t even humor an old friend._ ” Tsked Sabretooth, waggling a finger.  
Sportacus gritted his teeth, expressing an anger that made Robbie shrink away from its pure intensity.  
“I don’t have time for your games, Sabretooth. I’m here now, so let Stephanie go.”  
“ _Hmm, fine. I may not like your lack of appreciation for dramatics, but oh well. I will let your little friend go, but only after you do some favors for me._ ”  
“You said you’d let her go if I came here!” Sportacus said.  
“ _I said I wanted to meet with you, which means our meeting hasn’t quite yet been completed by just a friendly hello, right? So, if you want your little friend to remain safe…_ ”

The screen flickered, the image switching from Sabretooth to a dimly lit room. In the middle of said room, Sportacus looked in horror at the sight of Stephanie, bound to a chair, staring about frantically and fearfully. A quartet of armed guards flanked each corner, their attentions fixed upon Stephanie.

“ _…I suggest that you cooperate with us._ ” Finished Sabretooth, the screen flickering back to him.  
Sportacus’s mouth shut, his eyes drifting to the floor as he furrowed his brow in thought. He clenched his fists, sighing audibly before he looked back up.  
“What do you want, Sabretooth?” He asked.  
“ _Just a few tasks that we need to have finished. Ones I imagine would be little trouble for someone of your caliber, especially with an assistant in tow._ ” Said Sabretooth, glancing at Robbie for the first time in their whole exchanged.  
Robbie flinched, frowning deeply at the gang leader.  
“ _Our first request is quite simple. The Central City Museum is installing their precious gemstones exhibit tonight. Among their exhibits is one Stone of the Heavens, a red diamond of about 80 carats and worth millions. Procure that diamond for us, and we’ll keep your pink-haired friend alive for a few more hours. Do we have a deal?_ ”  
Robbie crossed his arms, preparing a venomous retort. But before he could say anything to the Primal leader, Sportacus nodded.  
“Fine. We have a deal.” He answered.  
Even the shadows, Robbie could tell that Sabretooth was grinning.  
“ _Excellent. I look forward to your success, Sportacus. Oh, and try not to get caught. Though, I don’t imagine it’d be a problem for someone like you._ ”

The monitor clicked to a black screen.

“Come on Robbie, we don’t have much time.” Sportacus said, turning and walking away.  
“Did you really not try to negotiate with the guy?”  
Sportacus stopped, frowning at Robbie.  
“What are you talking about?” He asked.  
“You just so easily agreed to _steal_ for these scumbags! I at least expected you to say, you know, ‘what if I refuse’ or at least _some_ comment about how terrible they are to threaten a _child_ with death.” Robbie said angrily. “Or, I don’t know, just something.”  
“Robbie, if we were in a better position to bargain, I would’ve said something. But you saw the screen, they have Stephanie held _at gunpoint_. We’re not in a position to protest.”  
Robbie nodded slowly, looking down.  
“Did you think I could’ve convinced Sabretooth to another deal?” asked Sportacus.  
“I…I don’t know. This is just…just weird.” Robbie said, shrugging. “You’re getting ready to steal from a museum.”  
“You can just wait in the airship you know. You didn’t ask to be part of this. I can just get the diamond while you wait.” Sportacus offered.  
Robbie frowned.  
“As if I’d let you do this on your own. _You_ at least have a reputation to keep up.”  
“Oh come on Robbie, you have one too.”  
“Yeah, as a _villain_. I’m not going to let you ruin your reputation because some jerk blackmailed you by threatening your friend.” Robbie said.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened, his expression softening. A light pink arose on his cheeks.  
Robbie’s own cheeks matched, and he quickly cleared his throat.  
“By that I mean, if I’m there, you could pin the whole crime on me. You know, say I mind controlled you or something.”  
Sportacus’s expression faltered slightly.  
“Oh, well I wouldn’t do that. But I, um, appreciate the sentiment.” He said.  
“Yeah. No problem.” Said Robbie.

Looking away, Sportacus nodded towards the door.  
“Let’s go.” He said.  
Robbie nodded, and the two men made their way to the airship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, I know. Apologies for the delay in this chapter, but I'm glad I was able to finally get it out for you guys to see. I know there's still a lot of questions but trust me they'll begin to be answered soon. I won't keep you guys in mystery forever ;)
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Breaks in the Mask

“We’re here.”

Robbie looked up from his spot, continuing to turn the ice axe in his hands. The ride over had been mostly quiet, with Sportacus preoccupied with an endless ream of paperwork, displaying indecipherable writings and graphs. The ship automatically screeched to a halt, the auto-pilot setting the vessel to a hover.  
“Perfect. Now will you finally tell me what you’ve been studying for the last hour?” Asked Robbie, standing up.  
Sportacus looked towards him, a crease still burrowed into his forehead.  
“Schematics of the Central City Museum, mostly. I want to get a good idea of what we’re getting ourselves into before we attempt to retrieve the diamond.” He said.  
“Right, practical. How’s it look then?” Robbie asked, peering over Sportacus’s shoulder.  
“Standard security measures. Sound sensitive alarm, surveillance cameras, and a patrol. Nothing too crazy.” Sportacus said, folding the paper and tossing it aside.  
“And you have a plan, right? Or at least an idea of how we’ll pull this off?” Robbie asked, folding his arms.  
“Sort of. I just need you to follow my lead.” Sportacus said, tying a rope to the end of the exterior platform.  
“Great. And, you know, I can distract the guards for you. Throw them off your trail.” Robbie suggested with a weak smile.  
Sportacus shook his head.  
“If this works, they’ll never even know we were there.” Sportacus said, a small smirk crossing his face.  
Robbie’s own smile faded. He wasn’t sure why, but the hero’s smirk and confidence made him a little uncomfortable.

Sportacus helped lead the villain onto the platform, attaching a dual-harness to both himself and Robbie.  
“Wait, we’re going to _jump_ from the airship?” Robbie asked.  
“Well, of course. Why else would I lower the door?” said Sportacus, his tone implying the obviousness.  
“Okay, yeah, I get it, but couldn’t we just, I don’t know, do something a little safer?” Robbie asked. “Couldn’t you just lower the airship a little more?”  
“Can’t risk being spotted.” Sportacus said, fastening the last clips. “Now, just hold on tight and don’t look down.”  
“You know maybe I _should_ stay in the airship! I bet I could keep an eye on the traffic and make sure no one passing by notices y –“ Robbie started, before he cut himself off with a less than manly shriek.  
In the middle of Robbie’s comment, Sportacus, deciding they didn’t have the time to argue, had simply pulled Robbie close and leapt off the airship with him in tow.  
Through the air the two soared, diving towards the earth at an incredible speed. Sportacus pulled his goggles over his eyes, allowing him to see where they were going.  
Robbie, meanwhile, continued to scream.  
“Robbie!” Sportacus shouted over the rushing wind.  
Robbie continued to scream in terror, until Sportacus leaned forward and clasped a hand over Robbie’s mouth.  
“It’s okay! Just close your eyes and let me handle the landing! We’ve got this!” Sportacus said reassuringly, flashing the villain his usual smile.  
Robbie would’ve probably responded with a slightly more acerbic comment, had it not been for his brain deciding to malfunction at that moment. His cheeks began to burn a pink color that, blessedly for Robbie (he thinks), wasn’t visible in the late-night light. He fished around for words, but nothing was biting.   
He instead settled on staring with his not blush and giving a feeble nod, like the smooth villain that he is.  
Sportacus, satisfied, pulled his hand away and refocused on finding their landing point. Robbie, meanwhile, forced his eyes shut and tried to still any leftover urge to shriek in terror.

A minute or so later, both men were back on solid ground, with Sportacus’s boots smacking against the flat surface of the museum’s rooftop. Making fast work of the clips and fasteners, Sportacus gently lowered Robbie to the ground and helped him stand upright.  
“Are you okay, Robbie?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie, finally opening his eyes, looked anxiously at his surroundings, feeling the coarse texture of the roof under his shoes.  
He smiled giddily, his legs still shaking terribly.  
“H-Heh, t-that was a p-piece of cake! Y-Yeah! Yeah we’re good, we’re good and thank god we’re on solid ground but thank god we’re okay!” He rambled, fighting the urge to kiss the ground beneath him.  
Sportacus chuckled and shook his head, tethering the rope to a nearby pipe. While he tethered the rope, he glanced over the side of the building. Down past the courtyard and into the street, the city was strangely quiet. Little traffic passed by the museum and the only car that appeared to be parked nearby was a van with a small satellite dish on top of it.  
Sportacus stared at the van with a furrowed brow, looking for any identifying marks or branding on its side. The van was blank.  
“Okay, I think we’re okay. There’s a weird van across the road, but that’s it – “Sportacus said, stopping as he started to turn around.  
He had spotted Robbie, who had just started working on unscrewing the air duct’s grating.  
“ – Robbie what are you doing?” Sportacus asked.  
Robbie lowered his ice axe and bit his lip in thought.  
“I thought we could sneak through the air duct. You know, like in the movies?” He suggested with a weak smile.  
“Nice thought, Robbie, but the air duct is the worst way to get into the building. Trust me on that.” Sportacus said, messing with the knob on the rooftop door.  
“Is it worse than walking, literally, through the main door?” Robbie asked pointedly.  
“Well, unless you like the idea of either falling through the air duct right into the hands of the patrol guard, or getting trapped forever in a small enclosed place, then yeah the door is actually preferable.” Sportacus said, fiddling with the lock until the door slipped open, the alarm remaining untripped.  
Robbie’s eyes widened.  
“You were kidding about the getting trapped forever part, right?” He asked.  
Sportacus’s gaze fell and a dark look crossed his face.  
“A teenage thief almost ten years ago tried the air duct trick at a different building. Let’s just say he wasn’t a pleasant surprise for the duct cleaners to find a month later.” He commented quietly, entering the darkened stairwell.  
Robbie’s face instantly went white.  
“O-Oh…” He said near silently.  
Sportacus looked over, giving an apologetic look.  
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so dark. That’s just why I’m sure we shouldn’t use the air duct.”  
“Duly noted. Now let’s not talk about air ducts again.” Robbie said hastily, following after Sportacus.

The two descended down the stairs and into the dark hallway. A flight later, and both men exited the stairwell and into a darkened room filled with dusty, cobweb-covered displays and cut-outs.  
“Where are we?” Asked Robbie.  
“The storage floor. The ship’s notes said that the Central City Museum has an unused floor that serves as storage space. I figure that there aren’t too many guards up here. Nothing but old displays and posters.” Sportacus explained, tapping his toe against various floorboards.  
“I guess that makes sense, but _why_ are we on this floor?” Asked Robbie, jumping once he spotted the giant t-rex sculpture.  
“Just a second.” Sportacus said, tapping a second time at a certain floorboard.  
He nodded.  
“Right here.” He said quietly, crouching down and sliding the floorboard away.  
Robbie peered down the newly opened hole. His eyes widened once he caught a glimpse of the glass display which, even from their vantage point, shimmered from the glittery surface of the diamond.  
“Woah, that thing is _massive_.” Robbie said in a hushed tone. “And it’s _beautiful_.”  
Sportacus nodded as he took out a length of rope from his backpack, gently setting it onto the floor. He pulled out a set of clips and attached one onto his harness, threading a loop through the clip’s eye. He handed the rest of the rope to Robbie.  
“Uh, what are you doing?” Asked Robbie nervously, peering at the rope.  
“I need you to provide a counter weight. That way I don’t plummet face first into the glass.” Sportacus said, glancing cautiously over the hole. He checked his arm brace’s clock display.  
“Excuse me? Don’t you remember who you’re talking to? I’m _Robbie Rotten_ , famous for not being active or anything along those lines. And you’re asking _me_ to be the counter weight?”  
“Well _I_ can’t be the counter weight. This job requires careful hands and you said you’ve never stolen something like this before.” Sportacus said in a near mumble.  
“What, and you _have_?” asked Robbie pointedly.

Sportacus froze, his face graying slightly though this wasn’t apparent to Robbie.  
Closing his eyes, Sportacus shook his head.  
“No, but I do have more careful hands than you. It’s not ideal, but if we want to get in and out and _not_ get caught, I should be the one grabbing the diamond.” He said.  
Robbie furrowed his brow, looking skeptically at the hero. Nevertheless, he nodded slowly.  
“Fine, I guess you’re right. I’ll just get over here and prepare to – “  
Before Robbie could move another step, Sportacus yanked him close, pressing a finger to his lips.  
“S-Sportacus! You know you could just _tell_ me not to – “  
Sportacus hushed him and sat listening carefully.  
Robbie, after a moment, finally heard the clicking sounds of hard-soled shoes against marble flooring, and faintly could see the brief shine of a flashlight. The two sat in stone silence as the clicking continued, paused, before continuing again, the sound fading to near silence once more.  
At that time, Sportacus finally let go and looked apologetically at Robbie.  
“Sorry, I should’ve said something. I was timing the guards. We should have about ten minutes to get the diamond and leave.” Said Sportacus, taking off his cap to tuck all his hair upwards, exposing his pointed ears.  
Robbie’s response was delayed, mostly due to him being utterly entranced by the rare sight of the hero’s ears, but nonetheless he expressed his confusion.  
“How did you get that? The ten-minute thing I mean.”  
“We’re right on the hour. The patrol guards should be swapping shifts, which means a delay as the other guard delivers his notes. That also means a delay where there’s no patrol.” Sportacus hastily explained as he crept towards the hole.  
Robbie raised an eyebrow.  
“Wow. Color me impressed. Never would’ve thought of that.” He said in a near mumble, looking down as he pulled back on the rope. That nagging feeling was digging a little harder.  
Sportacus gave a small smile before he started to lower himself down.

Down he lowered himself, Sportacus readily and steadily creeping down to the space a few inches above the surveillance cameras. Carefully, Sportacus pulled a small pair of wire clippers from his backpack, snipping a few choice wires off the first camera. The little red light fizzled out.  
One by one, Sportacus snapped and snipped the wires from each camera. Only one was left untouched, as he noticed that it wasn’t even turned on.  
“ _That’s odd. Why is this camera the only dead one?_ ” He puzzled to himself, before remembering his objective.  
With the cameras off, Sportacus continued to lower himself until he was suspended a few mere inches above the glass box.  
Sportacus bit his lip, wiping his brow as he tapped a few buttons on his arm brace. The brace expanded, segments and compartments unfolding to reveal a small, compact laser pointer-like device.  
Glancing up one more time to ensure his timing wasn’t off, Sportacus pointed the laser at the glass, slowly setting the intensity of the laser higher and higher. The pale, red light was silent as it bore and melted a hole into the glass box, a hole that grew wider and wider with every passing second. Within seconds, the hole grew from the size of a golf ball to the size of a softball.  
All through this, Robbie watched the best that he could. Part of him felt impressed, watching how deftly Sportacus was enacting this heist, and how steady he was as he prepared to snatch the diamond. Though he did wonder just _when_ Sportacus would need a laser on his gauntlet during his usual duties.  
With the hole wide enough, Sportacus pulled out his protective gloves, the ones he used when practicing his kickboxing. Twiddling his fingers, Sportacus swiftly plucked the diamond from its stand, wincing as he waited for the alarm. His ears twitched under his cap, listening carefully for the high-pitched, keening sound audio alarms made. When he heard no such noise, he gently tapped the rope, giving the signal for Robbie to help pull him up.  
Robbie, with a grunt and a groan, yanked with all his might as he pulled back, slowly lifting the hero up and out of the diamond display room. Sportacus could see the shadow of the guard down the hallway as he was lifted to safety.

“Do you have the diamond?” Asked Robbie, panting miserably as he sat back, the rope loose on his lap.  
Sportacus showed off the crimson jewel, which still glittered and sparkled even in the dim lighting. He gingerly tucked it into his backpack as he helped Robbie to his feet.  
“Y-You know, that was pretty good. That operation of yours was pretty seamless.” Robbie mentioned off-handedly, waiting for Sportacus’s response.  
The hero simply flashed a quick smirk and patted the villain’s back.  
“Thanks. Now let’s get going. We’ll get this diamond back to Sabretooth and we can finally get Stephanie away from this mess.” He said, jogging back towards the stairwell.  
Robbie frowned, the nagging voice becoming a dull roar as he followed the hero.

\--

“ _Well well Sportacus, I must say I’m impressed. You pulled off my little request rather speedily. Bravo._ ” Said Sabretooth, clapping slowly.

Sportacus frowned, laying the diamond next to the monitor.  
“I’ve completed my end of the bargain. Now tell me where Stephanie is.” He asked.  
“ _Completed? Oh no not yet. I still have more work for you to do._ ”  
“What?!” Robbie exclaimed.  
“This _wasn’t_ our deal, Sabretooth.” Sportacus said disapprovingly, folding his arms together.  
“You said if we stole your stupid diamond, you’d let Pinky go! What’s this crap about more work??” Robbie said angrily, as he pointed an accusing finger at the monitor.  
Sabretooth frowned deeply and leaned forward, his chin and chest now visible in the poor lighting. Both men could now tell he was wearing a sort of uniform, jet black, like a suit of some sorts. The Primal emblem shone on the top left of his chest.  
“ _If you might recall, Mr. Rotten, I specified that I had some tasks for you to finish. That’s ‘tasks’, as in plural. You understand what plurals are, don’t you Mr. Rotten?_ ” asked Sabretooth in a falsely sweet tone.  
Robbie seethed and gritted his teeth.  
“Don’t patronize me, of course I do! Just how many of these stupid tasks do Sportacus and I have to do before you stop being a coward and let Stephanie go?”  
Sportacus looked at Robbie with widened eyes, being both surprised and nervous. His pupils darted back and forth between the villain and Sabretooth.  
“ _I would suggest that you control your associate there, Sportacus. After all, I could just decide to throw your little friend into a_ meat grinder _instead of orchestrating a complicated deal. Would you prefer that?_ ” Sabretooth asked casually.

Sportacus’s face instantly turned white with a shade of green. He shook slightly.  
“N-No, I wouldn’t.” He said quietly.  
He turned to Robbie.  
“Robbie, I-I know you’re upset, but I’m certain we don’t have _that_ many tasks left. Let’s…let’s just get them over with.”  
Robbie, feeling the pit in his stomach grow after Sabretooth’s threat, nodded, despite still feeling enraged at Sabretooth’s wordplay trickery. He settled on merely not looking straight at Sabretooth, choosing to instead look at the floor or the adjacent wall.  
“ _Well, I shall be fair by at least specifying how many tasks you have left, Sportacus. Mr. Rotten was slightly right on that front. I only have two requests for you both. This next task, however, will require much more cunning and skill than that last heist. This is a_ retrieval _mission._ ”  
“Retrieval of what?” asked Sportacus.  
“ _One of our operatives, a very well respected and strong member of our ranks, was caught and thrown in prison a little over twenty years ago. He’s currently being held in a maximum-security prison near the town of Sendak. You’re required to break him out and bring him back alive._ ”  
“And why do you only care about this operative now?” Asked Sportacus.  
“ _We care about all of our operatives, Sportacus. We’ve simply been short of the adequate man power and time. His prison ID is 81433. That should help you find him. Oh, and to assist you,_ _I’ve prepared a little care package of sorts._ ”  
Sabretooth pointed down to a small cardboard box that was now on the floor under the monitor. Sportacus crouched down and unpacked the box, finding three, small sphere-like objects covered in little flashing lights.  
“ _I’m guessing you know what those are, but since your friend is out of the loop I’ll just say they’re little…door removers. Try to cover your ears before you use these._ ”  
Robbie’s eyes widened.  
“ _I await your success._ ” Said Sabretooth, before the screen blacked out once more.

Sportacus bit his lip as he rolled one of the explosives in his hand.  
“So I, uh, imagine you don’t have any experience with breaking people out of maximum security prisons, do you?” asked Robbie weakly, attempting to break the tension.  
Sportacus frowned, stuffing the three explosives into his pack with care.  
“No, but we’ll just improvise. Come on.” Sportacus said, taking Robbie’s wrist as he ran towards the doors once more.  
Robbie’s cheeks turned that annoying pink color once more as he tried to keep up with the sports elf.

\--

Given that it was a maximum-security prison, Robbie shouldn’t have been as shocked as he was by the overwhelming and terrifying sight that the penitentiary was, but he was.  
  
Even from the aerial view of the airship, Robbie could see that the prison was a marvel of security and imprisonment. From his view, he could count at least three fences that enclosed the entire area, which he guessed were fitted with barbed wire, electrical currents, or both. He could see spotlights shining across the perimeter, along with the dozens of clusters of guards, small as ants but nonetheless imposing. The buildings themselves stood as monoliths, darkly illuminated and starkly contrasting the blueish-green grasses surrounding the enclosure.  
“Strange that such a place would be close to Sendak. I used to vacation there with my cousin on occasion. There was this great bakery there. The main baker, I think her name was Debbie, made the most delicious chocolate torte. I wonder if she still does.” Robbie commented wistfully as he looked out the window.  
Sportacus shifted the controls upward, setting the ship on an incline. He looked back with a curious gaze at the villain.  
Robbie blinked and shook his head.  
“Sorry.” He mumbled.  
“No need to apologize. Is everything okay?” asked Sportacus.  
Robbie shrugged.  
“I was just trying to keep my mind off…that.” He said, gesturing to the prison below. “I don’t like staring at that place. It just feels wrong. Makes me uncomfortable.”  
Sportacus slowly looked at the window, gazing at the prison below.  
“I…don’t blame you. It’s not exactly a comforting sight.” He said softly, getting up from the pilot’s seat. He turned to look at Robbie, seeing him staring intently at the wall.  
“Robbie?”  
“I’m fine.” Robbie said tiredly, his gaze growing misty.  
Pursing his lip, Sportacus crouched next to Robbie and gently placed a hand against his arm.  
“You don’t have to join me for this one. You can stay here.” He offered gently with a small smile.  
Robbie’s gaze slowly drifted over towards Sportacus’s hand, the tension in his shoulders loosening at the contact. His gaze then drew up to Sportacus’s face, focusing on the hero’s warm, assuring smile.  
Robbie swallowed a hard breath, feeling his cheeks grow warm.  
“N-No, I’ll be fine. Besides, I won’t let you do this on your own.” He said firmly. “I don’t think even _you_ could flip over that many fences.”

Sportacus chuckled and shook his head.  
“I don’t think that’d be the most discrete way into the prison. We’ll need something a little less conspicuous.” He said, stroking his mustache thoughtfully.  
“Like a disguise?” suggested Robbie, snapping his fingers.  
Sportacus smiled.  
“Exactly. We’ll need to get some uniforms for that though.” He said.  
“Leave that to me.” Robbie said, pulling out a purple, satin pouch.  
Sportacus raised an eyebrow.  
“And that is…?” He asked.  
“Just a little magic dust. Now close your eyes and try not to inhale this stuff. It’s potent.” Robbie said, tossing some over Sportacus.  
Sportacus followed Robbie’s instructions diligently, squeezing his eyes shut and holding his breath. Through his eyelids he could see what looked like light exploding, briefly illuminating the inside of his eyelids a pale purple. As quickly as the burst occurred, just as quickly did it vanish, leaving a warm mist surrounding him.  
“You can open your eyes now.”  
Sportacus let one eye flutter open and glance down at himself. His other eye joined suit as he stared in astonishment at his new clothing. Gone were his hero garb; he was now dressed to the letter in a tan prison guard’s uniform, complete with a new, more appropriate cap and a name tag.  
“Robbie, this…this is amazing! How did you do that?” asked Sportacus.  
“Magic. That’s about as simple as it gets.” Robbie said, twiddling his fingers as he tossed some of the dust onto himself. He was briefly cloaked in light as the magic burst and, after the smoke cleared, Robbie was dressed in an identical uniform.  
Sportacus briefly paused as he looked over the villain in his new uniform, before he nodded.  
“Okay, now we can head on down. We should hurry, Stephanie is waiting for us.”

Robbie was less than excited for yet another long drop from the airship, though luckily this time the two elected to clamber down the ladder, rather than freefall from the airship’s platform. The two hopped off into a nearby patch of bushes, watching as a patrol jeep zoomed past, a set of six guards perched in its back.  
“Okay, now what?” whispered Robbie.  
“We wait for a jeep with two free spots. We’ll sneak on and, hopefully, they won’t notice anything off.” Answered Sportacus.  
“And if that doesn’t happen?” asked Robbie.  
“Well…we’ll figure that out if that happens.” Sportacus said, giving a short shrug.  
The two sat in the bushes, far out of sight, keeping careful watch as a jeep would periodically pass them by, each one either filled to capacity or completely empty of guards. After at least five of these jeeps, Robbie was growing impatient.  
“Sportacus, we might be waiting for a _month_ for a jeep to pass by with only four guards. You really don’t have another plan?” He asked.  
Sportacus bit his lip, watching the road carefully. A jeep rumbled past, empty once again save for its driver.  
Under his cap, Sportacus’s ears perked up with an idea.  
“Follow my lead.” Sportacus hissed, jetting out of the bush and over the bank. Robbie just narrowly managed to follow a pace behind, completely confused over what Sportacus could be planning.  
Robbie panted heavily as the hero picked his pace up into a sprint. Robbie, thus, followed to the best of his ability by breaking into a jog.  
Sportacus, meanwhile, eyed the jeep intently, following a pace behind the front door. He waited as the jeep passed a mostly blocked corner, before he suddenly sprang off the ground and onto the roof of the jeep.  
Robbie could only watch with a gaped mouth.  
Sportacus crawled across the roof of the jeep, peeping through the passenger window.  
The guard, initially, didn’t notice the hero crouching on his roof, staring at him with an intent strong enough to melt the glass. When he did, however, he nearly leapt out of his chair in shock.  
“What the hell?!” He shrieked. “Get off my jeep you lunatic! Where did you _come_ from?”  
“Sorry! I kind of need to borrow this.” Sportacus said, weaseling with the window until it slid partly open, open enough for Sportacus to yank the glass down and slide inside.  
“What do you mean ‘borrow’? Get the hell out of my jeep!” shouted the driver, fumbling for his handgun.  
Sportacus, noticing the guard’s movements, leaned forward and grabbed hold of the steering wheel with one hand, the other pressing the guard away and into the seat.  
“You’re out of your mind! Let go this instant or I’ll have you charged with assaulting an officer!” Spat the driver.  
Sportacus shrugged.  
“No problem. This is your stop anyways.”  
The driver looked confused.  
“My…stop?” He asked.

Following behind, Robbie skidded to a stop once he watched the jeep’s former driver tumble out of the car and into the nearby ditch, the jeep screeching to a halt.

Sportacus peeked out from the driver’s seat, listening carefully for the guard as Robbie finally caught up.  
“Did you just _chuck_ the guy out of the car??” Robbie asked in shock. “That could’ve killed him!”  
Sportacus listened, staying silent until he could hear the groans and quiet swears of the ejected guard.  
“He’s okay at least. A few bruises, but that’s it.” Sportacus said, signaling for Robbie to climb into the passenger’s seat.  
“My first question still stands: did you throw the guy out of the car?” Asked Robbie.  
“Not technically.” Sportacus simply said, pressing down on the gas pedal. “He kind of fell out when I hit the door lever. That’s what happens when you don’t wear a seatbelt.”  
Robbie’s lips thinned as he glanced out the back window.  
“Like I said Robbie, he’ll be okay. Plus,” Sportacus said, lifting up a plastic card. “now we have access to the whole prison complex.”  
Robbie’s eyes widened.  
“You managed to snatch that from him?” He asked.  
“Right before he fell out of the car.” Sportacus said with a nod.  
“I, uh, that’s great.” Robbie said, blinking as he finally decided that he was impressed.

The jeep drove down the road, passing by bushes and rocks and one lone, white van with a small satellite dish on top of it (another patrol car most likely). A few minutes later, the jeep pulled up to the gate, Sportacus slipping on a pair of sunglasses he found in the cup holder as he passed the ID card to the gate guard.  
The guard scrutinized it thoroughly, staring with a discerning eye at Sportacus and the ID.  
“Sorry. I left my ID at home by accident. I’m just borrowing Brian’s for the day. I got it cleared with the warden already.” Sportacus said simply, his tone casual and calm.  
The guard paused, before nodding and handing Sportacus the ID. With one press of a button, both Sportacus and Robbie were inside the prison compound.  
“You know, I never took you for a guy who could lie, much less _that smoothly_.” Noted Robbie.  
“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” Sportacus said, setting the vehicle to “park”.  
Both men clambered out of the car and into the yard. Robbie glanced about, watching the passing parades of inmates with apprehension. All the inmates were dressed in identical, faded orange outfits, and were corralled by uniformed guards around the yard. At least three such troops were out in the yard doing various exercises.  
“Uh Sportacus, did you happen to think of a way to find our convict? There has to be hundreds of inmates in this prison, at the least.” Robbie asked quietly.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened as he paused, stroking his mustache as he thought carefully.  
“Well, he’s part of Primal, a fairly notorious criminal organization from Sendak’s neighboring city. If I were to hazard a guess, he’ll be locked up in the solitary division, given that he’s probably high-profile and considered violent.” He noted.  
Robbie nodded.  
“Guess we’ll have to find our way to solitary then.” He said, looking about.  
Sportacus tapped Robbie’s shoulder and pointed towards a gigantic, double door made of steel. The doors slid open to allow another group of inmates past.

Sportacus and Robbie quickly made their way to the door, slipping through before the doors shut with a deafening _clang_ , the noise causing both men’s spines to straighten and stiffen.  
The noise echoed through the tall, wide hallways, punctuating the emptiness. Distantly they could hear the rumble and ramble of the inmates.  
“Cozy.” Robbie remarked with a small chuckle, hoping to break the tension.  
Sportacus, clearly missing Robbie’s remark, jogged ahead towards the next set of doors.  
Robbie sighed and followed along, his feet dragging as he went.  
As the two passed through the next set of doors, the distant sound grew all together present as they entered the main hallway. Both men slowed and stared in disturbed awe at the rows upon rows of cells, cramped so close together it was doubtful a single square inch of space was wasted. Metal catwalks stretched above them, connecting the multiple floors worth of inmates for the convenience of the guards. The building was absolutely filled with the deafening din of the imprisoned men, many of them shouting or yelling obscenities as they noticed Sportacus and Robbie.  
Robbie’s face grayed as he looked around the conditions.  
“I’ve heard prison is terrible, but this…I don’t think I could’ve conjured this in my worst nightmares.” He muttered softly, looking about the cells.  
Sportacus looked over and, seeing the distress in Robbie’s face, gently patted his back.  
“We’ll try and make this as quick as possible. After we find this inmate, we’ll never have to come back. Ever. You think you’ll be okay for that?” He asked with a reassuring look.  
Robbie looked over and, breathing deeply, he nodded uneasily.  
“I don’t think I have much choice.” He responded with a shaky laugh.  
“Just let me lead and follow close. With luck we’ll find him in no time.” Sportacus said with a smile, guiding Robbie down the hallway, his hand still on Robbie’s back.  
As the two walked along, Robbie finally became somewhat aware of Sportacus’s hand still on his back. Somehow, it was comforting, even though at one point the very thought of Sportacus laying a hand on him was revolting. Now, however? It was nice, and it made Robbie feel at ease for the first time since they set foot in the prison.  
A smile slipped past Robbie as they walked.

“Hey look! The pig’s got a boyfriend! How sweet!”

And there went that short-lived smile.  
Sportacus and Robbie looked over at the cells as they walked by, a frown fixing itself to Sportacus’s face the more comments were thrown at them.  
“Aww, how sweet! Come on, give him some sugar!” Goaded one inmate, making kissy faces at the two men.  
“Where’s your ‘family values’ now, pigs? Your boss gonna have your asses when he sees you two making out! Bet that’s what’cha gonna do right now!” Snickered another inmate.  
Robbie’s face burned bright red like a tomato, and he slowly shrank in on himself, pulling his cap over his face.  
Sportacus, on the other hand, shot a nasty glare at the teasing inmates.  
“That’s enough of that! You’re making us uncomfortable!” Sportacus scolded.  
“Oh boo hoo! We’re hurting the poor widdle guards’ feelings!” Mocked one inmate.  
“You’re just upset that we’re interrupting your make out plans!” Jeered another.  
“Keep that up and you’ll all be lucky if you see the sun again! You understand me??” Growled Sportacus, his eyes taking on a dangerous glare.  
The inmates, seeing his intensity, took a step back, but kept their mocking and sneering expressions.  
“Are you okay, Robbie?” asked Sportacus quietly, looking over at the man.  
“Just keep moving please.” Robbie mumbled, still covering his face.  
Sportacus nodded and pushed ahead, ignoring the kissy noises and hollering shouts from the cells behind them.

The two walked past more cells. Unlike the inmates in the earlier cells, most of the inmates simply ignored them or just looked with suspicious expressions. Sportacus breathed a sigh of relief as he patted Robbie’s back.  
“I think they’ve stopped now.” He said.  
“Then you can let go of me, Sportacow.” Robbie said bitterly, keeping his eyes to the ground.  
Sportacus’s expression lowered as he backed away from Robbie, rubbing his arm awkwardly as he looked away.  
He sighed tiredly.  
“Alright, we should really focus on finding the solitary confinement division. The sooner we find it, the sooner we can get out of here.”  
“What kind of guards don’t know where solitary is?”  
Both Sportacus and Robbie’s gazes snapped over to an adjacent cell, where a man, shaved and covered in tattoos, stood at the bars with his hands gripping them.  
“Unless you two aren’t _real_ guards, and you’re planning something else. Then that would make sense.” He said with a shrug.  
Sportacus frowned, his lips thinning. He considered his options, most specifically how much he should tell this random prisoner.  
Robbie, on the other hand, was less reserved in talking to the inmate.  
“We’re looking for a certain prisoner. He’s, uh, scheduled for early release.” He said.  
“Uh-huh. You can just say you’re busting him out. I have no incentive to snitch.” Said the man.  
Robbie’s eyes widened.  
“Wait, what?”  
“I don’t. Doesn’t earn me anything. Besides, a good prison riot might break up the monotony around here. Gets dull getting yelled at and running in circles every day.” He said.  
Sportacus then stepped next to Robbie.  
“So where’s solitary then?” He asked.  
“Down that hallway, to your right.” Said the man, pointing out another door. “I’ll warn you though, I hear the doors are mighty thick. Unless you have a special key card, there’s no way you’re getting inside.”  
“We’ve got that handled. Thank you.” Said Sportacus, sprinting over towards the door with Robbie a pace-lengths behind him.

The two made their way down the hallway, which was sized more like a reasonably sized hallway with normal ceilings and width, until they reached a formidably thick door, fashioned out of what was most likely steel.  
Robbie took the ID card and swept it through the reader, earning a harsh buzzer noise for his trouble.  
“Well, that was worth a try.” He noted, tucking the card into his pocket.  
He looked over, paling once he noticed Sportacus messing with one of the compact explosives they’d been given.  
“Uh, are you sure you don’t want to just find a guard with the security access? Sure we could convince him to open the door. You know, just so we don’t have to use a random explosive that could potentially blow us to smithereens.” He asked nervously.  
“It won’t blow us to bits, it’s too small.” Sportacus explained calmly, twisting a knob on top of the orb-shaped explosive and setting it close to the bottom most hinge. “It’ll make quick work of the door, but that’s it.”  
“Is that a guess or a certainty?”  
“Which do you prefer it to be?”  
“Certainty it is then.”  
“Good.” Sportacus said, grabbing Robbie’s arm and yanking him down the hall. “Plug your ears.”  
“Wha – “

The blast concussed through the hallway, rattling the ceiling and sending a spray of paint dust raining down on them both, dusting their clothing. It was strong enough to send the two tumbling to their knees, narrowly catching themselves from faceplanting. Robbie’s ears rang with a high-pitched tone.  
“Robbie? Are you okay?” asked Sportacus.  
“Oh I’ll be fine. Ask that question again with future Robbie, once he can’t sleep because of his tinnitus problem.”   
“I told you to plug your ears.”  
“I need more of a heads-up next time, Sportadoof.” Robbie grumbled, dusting the paint off his hair. “You gave me half a second to react.”  
“Sorry.” Said Sportacus, glancing over towards the door. “At least we can get in now.”  
The explosive had done its job, and Robbie saw that the door had been reduced to a crumpled piece of steel sheet across the hall, the wall around the frame stained a soot black color.  
“Yeah, but how long until someone considers all that noise suspicious?” Asked Robbie.  
As if on cue, a droning alarm was piped through the loud speaker.  
“Next time, don’t ask.” Sportacus hissed, pulling Robbie onto his feet and along into the solitary unit.

The solitary unit looked much like the regular cell line, with a hexagon-shape to this unit of the prison and packed together cells. Unlike the rest of the prison, the doors were made of the same material as the first door, the prisoner’s number printed on the outside of the door for ease of identification.  
“Remember, we’re looking for 81433. You check those doors, and I’ll check these ones.” Said Sportacus, pointing to his right.  
“Got it.” Said Robbie, hastily making his way to the first door.  
The two ran a sweep past each door, carefully making their way around the perimeter of the room until both men stopped at the exact same door, the door straight across from the first door.  
“This is it.” Sportacus said, pulling another explosive from his bag.  
He paused.  
“We should give him a heads up, shouldn’t we? I mean we’re about to detonate an explosive right by him, and solitary cells are small…” He suggested.  
Robbie turned to his left. Even with the ringing in his ears he could hear approaching footsteps.  
“I’ll give the warning! You prepare the bomb!” Robbie said, cupping his hands and pressing them against the door. “FIRE IN THE HOLE!”  
Sportacus set the bomb and placed it right by the hinges before both men leapt away, plugging their ears this time.  
The explosive went off with an earth-shaking thud, the door bouncing in its place before settling back to where it first stood, albeit its hinges now blown out like a wilted daisy.  
Sportacus and Robbie climbed to their feet, Sportacus dashing ahead to deal with the door. With a grunt and a heave, he shoved the gigantic door to the side, the room echoing its thud as it landed on the ground.  
“Prisoner 81433? We’re busting you out of here and – “Sportacus started, before his words tangled in his mouth, his eyes finally settling on the prisoner in the cell.

The inmate looked up, his gray eyes weary and tired looking, clearly worn away from years of isolation and imprisonment. His face was littered with wrinkles and crags, which overall contrasted starkly with the fitness of his form. The inmate’s face was framed by a beard which would be magnificent had he been given access to proper grooming tools, but currently was a prickly looking, thick carpet across his jawline. Its color matched his long, ponytailed hair: chestnut brown scarred by pale gray and white.  
He glanced over at Sportacus, his eyes trailing up and down. He made a short, indistinct noise as he settled back against the wall.  
“So Primal finally sent someone to come fetch me? Took them long enough.” He stated gruffly, his voice raspy and deep. “Suppose it could’ve been forty years though. I should count my blessings that they came so quickly.”  
“I…it can’t…you…” Sportacus stuttered, his eyes widening.  
“Sportacus? Is everything okay?” Asked Robbie as he finally joined back up with the hero.  
The inmate nodded.  
“So that’s what you’re calling yourself nowadays huh? Seems a bit flashy for you, you never seemed the glitz and glamour type. I guess things change.” He noted thoughtfully.   
Robbie raised an eyebrow.  
“Sportacus, do you know this guy?”  
“I…” Sportacus stammered, his face turning pale.  
The inmate grunted as he stood back up.  
“Things change indeed. You were always the kind of kid who would greet someone with a hug and a smile. Now look at you. You’re gasping like a fish. Tell me Jackal,” He said, giving Sportacus a quiet look. “Is that how you greet your dad?”

In that instant, the room fell so silent one could’ve heard a pin drop. Even in the din, time seemed to just stop. The atmosphere grew heavy as Sportacus began to sweat, his pupils trailing slowly over to Robbie.  
  
Robbie’s eyes, meanwhile, had blown wide open. His own gaze trailed over to Sportacus, his expression one of disbelief and shock.  
He had a million questions he wanted to ask, but all seemed to be caught in his throat. Only one managed to partially slip through.  
“You’re -?” Robbie asked softly, staring at Sportacus.  
Sportacus trembled, his mouth suddenly going dry.  
“I…I can explain.” He managed to say.  
“There they are! Take them down!”

The three turned towards the doorway, watching as the main room grew flooded with guard after guard, all with their batons out and ready.  
Sportacus gulped down a breath and turned towards his dad.  
“I-Is that wall over there an exterior one?” He asked.  
“Think so. Got a plan?” asked the inmate.  
Sportacus nodded and pulled out the last explosive. He set it for the shortest timer length and chucked it at the far wall. As he did, he tapped his wristwatch.  
“Ship? Get the ladder ready, we’ll need a quick exit! Trace our location and lower it there!” He shouted, pulling his dad and Robbie close.  
The explosive went off with the same energy as the last two, blowing open a hole in the wall to the outside. Alarms rang all across the compound, and spotlights scanned the yard with extreme scrutiny.  
A second later, the airship’s ladder dropped down a foot or two away from the hole.  
“Get going!” shouted Sportacus, sprinting towards the ladder.  
Sportacus first helped Robbie, making sure the man leapt the gap successfully. Robbie forced his eyes to stare at the ladder rather than the ground as he made his leap, just barely managing to cling to the ladder.  
Sportacus’s dad was next, and he leapt to the ladder with ease.  
Sportacus was the last one to escape the cell, leaping and clinging to the last rung of the ladder.  
“Ship! Up!” Yelled Sportacus as he swayed in the open air, bullets whistling past him far too close for comfort.

The ship complied, and soon all three men were lifted up and away from Sendak prison, the chaotic yard vanishing beneath the cloud layer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well now, THAT just happened. Now you see why I had to be vague with tags huh?
> 
> Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter, things are really gonna start getting going. Next chapter will be a little less busy than this one, but at least the guys will finally get a small chance to start processing and questions will be answered XD
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


	4. Splitting

The three men emerged back on the main deck of the airship, all tired and frazzled from their close escape. Sportacus stepped forward first, tearing off his button-up shirt to reveal his usual uniform underneath.

“Alright everyone, quick check in, is everyone in one piece? No bleeding? I have an emergency kit in the ship for any bleeding or injuries. I didn’t think the guards would have guns, but I know how to treat bullet wounds.” He said, not looking at Robbie or his dad.  
He heard no response.  
Sportacus paused.  
“Robbie? Dad? Is everyone okay?” He asked, turning and stopping once he finally got a good look at Robbie’s expression.  
The villain stood there, staring at Sportacus with a look that could only be likened to a disappointed parent, waiting for their child’s explanation for why the back window was broken with a baseball. His arms were crossed, and his lips were fixed into a neutral, straight line.  
Sportacus’s dad, meanwhile, stood off to the side, his hands in his prison uniform’s pockets. His expression was less disappointment and more patient silence, mixed with a little shrugging standoffishness from the current atmosphere.  
Sportacus’s lips thinned, his face paling once he realized the cause of Robbie’s silence.  
“So…I’m guessing you have a lot of questions. I can…well I can at least _try_ to answer all of them.” He said, rubbing the back of his neck.  
“Oh, I have more than a ‘lot of questions’, Sportacow.” Robbie noted coldly. “Were you _planning_ to mention your little connection to Primal at some point? Or were you hoping it would just remain under the rug?”  
“I,” Sportacus said, sighing tiredly. “yes, but it’s…difficult. I wasn’t exactly sure _how_ to bring it up. This wasn’t something I thought I’d ever have to mention again.”  
“So you _were_ hoping you wouldn’t have to talk about this?” Robbie asked with a frown.  
Sportacus’s frown matched his.  
“No, I just said that I had no clue how to talk about it. Or when.”  
“Oh gee, _when_ should you have brought it up? I don’t know, maybe _before we started this stupid, dangerous rescue mission_?” Robbie said with a look. “This kind of changes a few things!”  
“It really doesn’t, Robbie. We’d still have to finish these errands even if you did know my dad is part of Primal.”  
“I know that!” Robbie spat. “I don’t mean that!”  
“Then what _do_ you mean??” Sportacus responded, his voice raising in volume.  
“It changes, you know - ” Robbie said, wildly gesturing at Sportacus.  
“No, I don’t know.”  
“Well clearly you don’t, because I have no clue how you’re remaining so calm about this, or how you could possibly think you could get away without letting anyone know that your dad is a criminal mastermind, and that this Primal crap is far more personal than you let on! You…You…” Robbie rambled, his own voice growing louder by the minute.  
“Robbie, please, why are you getting so upset about this?”  
“You’re dense, you know that?! I…I…I need a minute.” Robbie said, storming away and into a spare room in the ship, the door sliding down after him.

“Robbie! Robbie, stop – “Sportacus started, before stopping. He clenched his fist and stared down at the floor, frown deepening and a crease forming in his brow.  
“Well, that went well. Good job.” Remarked his father.  
Sportacus looked up, an annoyed glance escaping him.  
“You know, you could’ve said _something_ to help me out.” He said.  
“Yeah, I could’ve, but I also figured you’d get a clue before he ran off. Guess I was wrong there. It’s one of those days.” Sportacus’s dad said, shrugging.  
Sportacus quirked an eyebrow.  
“So, then what _is_ wrong? I don’t get how this changes anything.”  
“Just give it a few minutes. Your train of thought will catch up soon enough.” Sportacus’s dad said, patting his son’s back and strolling towards the back room.  
Sportacus stood up straight, watching his dad walk away.  
“Where are you going?”  
“Just gonna see if I can help out a little. I’ll go ahead and talk a bit to him for you.”  
“I can do that. You don’t need to.”  
“No, I do. Mostly because you should get this ship up and running. Sendak has helicopter patrols and they _are_ armed. You focus on getting us away from here, and I’ll see if I can help calm down your friend.” Sportacus’s dad explained, pressing a few buttons on the wall.  
Sportacus paused, his expression softening once he thought over his dad’s words. He nodded.  
“…thanks dad.” He said.  
“No thanks needed.” His dad responded, disappearing into the back room once the door finally opened.

Sportacus’s dad stopped as the door closed behind him, his gaze falling upon the villain.  
Robbie was sitting on a spare seat, his knees drawn up to his chest. His own gaze was fixed upon the floor, his eyebrows furrowed deeply and his eyes watery. Even from his spot, Sportacus’s dad could tell that Robbie was fighting back whatever he was feeling, judging from the tension visible in his expression.  
Sportacus’s dad sighed and lumbered over to the seat, plopping himself down next to the villain.  
Robbie’s gaze didn’t leave the floor.  
Fumbling about in his lone shirt pocket, Sportacus’s dad pulled out a beaten and dented carton and a cheap, plastic lighter. Flipping open the lid, he held out the carton to Robbie.  
This finally caught Robbie’s attention, his eyes snapping up to stare in confusion at the carton.  
“Want one?” asked Sportacus’s dad.  
Robbie scrunched his nose, giving him a look. He shallowly shook his head, his gaze fully fixed upon Sportacus’s father.  
“Suit yourself.” Said Sportacus’s dad, shrugging and plucking out a single cigarette. He bit onto the end and lit the cigarette, waiting until the end glowed a bright orange, a trail of blueish smoke furling up and to the ceiling, filling the room with the scent of nicotine and tar.  
Robbie scooched a little to his right, letting out a single cough from the horrid stench.  
“He had the same reaction as you, you know. Even as a kid, he hated these things. Lectured me for hours once about it. Never got me to quit though. Old habits die hard.” Sportacus’s dad noted, stuffing the carton back into his pocket and exhaling a stream of smoke.  
Robbie’s gaze drooped down again as he returned to his original position.  
“At least _that_ sounds like him.” He said quietly.  
Sportacus’s dad looked over slowly.  
“He still like that? All lecturing and stuff?” He asked.

“Don’t get me started.” Robbie sighed exasperatedly. “That seems to be his default setting. Lots of lectures about sportscandy and exercise.”  
“He still calls vegetables ‘sportscandy’?” asked Sportacus’s dad, quirking an eyebrow. “I would’ve thought he’d’ve dropped that once he was on his own.”  
“Nope. Still does. It’s _insufferable_.” Robbie said with a laugh, leaning back against the wall.  
“Hmm, Hyena taught him that word. Guess she thought it made vegetables and fruits sound more exciting.” Sportacus’s dad noted.  
“Hyena?”  
“His mom.” Sportacus’s dad explained. “She doted on him like you wouldn’t believe. _I_ thought all that attention would turn him soft, but it looks like he turned out okay. She should be proud.”  
Robbie’s smile faded, and his hurt expression returned.  
“Yeah, he turned out fine. Fine, all fine. Yet he still hid you and everything about Primal from everyone, including me.” He noted bitterly.  
“That’s what all this is about then?”  
A crook formed at the corner of Robbie’s mouth.  
“Are you surprised?” He grumbled.  
“Not particularly. It was easy to guess.”  
“Well, then you should know why I’m upset!”  
“Not necessarily. I know _what_ you’re upset about. Can’t tell _why_ you’re upset, other than the dishonesty part. That’s on him to deal with though. I can tell something else is the matter.”  
“I,” Robbie started, before he paused.  
He sighed.  
“look Mr., uh…”  
“Dingo.”  
Robbie gave the man a look.  
“Really?”  
“I didn’t get to pick my codename. I’m just saddled with it.” Dingo said with a frown.  
“Fine…Dingo. I’m not sure if you know, but when I met Sportacus, he came to my town as a hero. He flew in with a big, glossy smile and his obnoxious optimism and said he was here to help out the kids, in particular Stephanie. I hated him the moment I saw him, and I still do.”  
“Really.”  
Robbie’s cheeks tinted the fairest pink.  
“Well, not _hate_ , just dislike. He’s still obnoxious, flips too much, does all his showing off, and…” Robbie fumbled. “That’s not the point! The point is all this time I thought that’s what he was and all he was. He is a hero. He’s kind, caring, stupidly brave and…and good. That’s what they are. And I’m the _villain_. I’m supposed to be the exact opposite of that. It was simple, easy to understand. That’s…That’s how I knew him.”  
Dingo’s gaze shifted down, seeing how Robbie’s fingers clenched around a fistful of his pants’ material.  
“But now, everything I knew about him, everything I thought…it’s _wrong_. He isn’t…he wasn’t all that. He was no better than me…no he was _worse_ than me. He ran circles with people who rob banks, assault people, kidnap and threaten chil – “

Robbie stopped, his arms shaking and his face growing paler.  
“ – threaten children. Threaten to _kill them_. For nothing.” He said, his voice growing soft. “And…And he’s supposed to be protecting all of them. Ziggy, Pixel, Stingy, Trixie…and Stephanie. How _else_ am I supposed to react, Dingo? How else am I supposed to feel about all of this?”  
Dingo stared at Robbie quietly, his gaze growing tired. He nodded and took another drag of his cigarette.  
“Makes sense. I get why you’re mad.” He said. “You’re worried, worried about the kids’ safety. I would be too.”  
Robbie stared down at the floor.  
“Look, I’m not the greatest at cheering people up, or helping them with these sorts of problems.” Dingo admitted. “But let’s think. Jackal…er, Sportacus, isn’t in Primal anymore. Is he?”  
“I don’t think so. Unless he’s lying about that too.” Mumbled Robbie.  
“And I can’t speak about how he turned out. I got locked up when he was about twelve.” Dingo said. “But what I do remember, and still see in his eyes, is he’s not a usual Primal member. The most he helped with when I was around was the occasional heist. Even then, though, he was in charge of grabbing the valuables, _not_ taking out the guards. He refused to lay a finger on another person unless needed. All I’m saying is I don’t see him murdering anyone.”  
Robbie looked uncomfortable as he crossed his arms.  
“He threw a guard out of a jeep.”  
“Pardon?”  
Robbie closed his eyes and sighed.  
“I said, he threw a guard out of a jeep. He said the guy fell out, but…”  
“Well, what do you think? What does your gut tell you?”  
Robbie looked up at Dingo.  
“I…I want to believe he did fall out. I think that’s what happened.” He said.  
“Yeah?”  
Robbie looked away momentarily and bit his lip. He slowly nodded.  
“Yeah.”  
Dingo took another drag of his cigarette.  
“I get it. This is probably crazy for you. You had some image of him in your mind and it’s different now. That’s a lot to process.” He said. “Just try not to let that effect you too much. You’ve seen what Sportacus is like usually, and I’m sure that’s the same even now.”  
Robbie’s gaze remained away from Dingo.  
“You okay?” asked Dingo.  
“I just need a few more minutes.”  
“Alone?”  
“If you don’t mind.”  
“Sure, no problem. Just need to put this out.” Dingo said, crushing the last of his cigarette against his thigh.  
Robbie’s eyes widened in horror.  
“Does…Doesn’t that hurt?”  
“Boy, I’ve had plenty worse injuries than that. I don’t feel a thing anymore.” Dingo said, getting up and walking out of the room, leaving Robbie unsure of just how to react.

Dingo crossed the deck of the airship as the door shut behind him. He walked towards the cockpit and sat next to his son.  
Sportacus look over expectantly.  
“Well? Is everything okay?” He asked.  
He scrunched his nose.  
“Were you smoking inside my ship?”  
“No and yes. You know that this is something I can’t give up.” Dingo said, waggling the carton.  
“I know that. I tried convincing you for years.” Sportacus said, his lips thinning.  
“Trust me, I noticed.” Dingo noted.  
“So, you said Robbie isn’t okay?”  
“Yup. He’s a bit upset that you didn’t talk about being related to me and that you were part of Primal.” Dingo said, pausing. “…that is a ‘were’, right? Not an ‘are’?”  
“Right. I-I left when I was, I think, twenty.” Sportacus said uneasily.  
“Well, you’d better tell him that yourself. Right now, he’s thinking you’re associated with a bunch of child murderers.” Dingo said simply.  
Sportacus’s face went ghostly white.  
“What?! Why would he…I-I’m not! I-I would never kill anyone, and certainly wouldn’t condone that!” He said, sputtering.  
“And that’s what I said. But something tells me those words would sound better coming from you.”  
Sportacus’s face fell and he bit his lip.  
“I…I know. He’s right, I should’ve said something about this earlier.”  
“Then why didn’t you?”  
“I…I was scared.” Sportacus admitted softly. “Maybe…Maybe part of me hoped this stuff with Primal was long behind me. I was hoping they’d leave me alone forever after I left. I guess I was being too hopeful.”  
Sportacus pressed the auto-pilot button and buried his face in his hands.  
“Just…he knows that I wouldn’t harm anyone. And this changes things? I’m still the same person. I’m certainly not the same person I was when I was in Primal.”  
“Well, clearly, he has a version of you in his mind, and being in Primal doesn’t mesh that well. Now you just need to make sure he knows that you aren’t any different even knowing about Primal.” Dingo said, looking seriously at his son.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“Are you going to do that?”

Before Sportacus spoke, an indicator on the dashboard beeped and flashed.  
Sportacus sighed.  
“We’re at the base. I’ll have to talk to him after we meet with Sabretooth. We can’t keep him waiting.” He said, pulling the brake and getting up and out of his seat.  
“Fair enough.” Dingo said. “Just make sure you do.”  
Sportacus gave a small smile to his dad.  
“No worries. I will.” He said.

\--

The trio wasted little time traversing the base. Dingo was the one to linger the longest, his gaze showing the slightest sadness as he looked upon his old home, now in ruins. It was clear he tried to stuff down his emotions for the sake of the mission, but Robbie didn’t miss the mistiness in his eyes. As they passed what Robbie now theorized was Sportacus’s old bedroom, Dingo ducked inside.  
“You two go ahead. I’ll catch up.” He said.  
Neither man argued and instead went on their way.  
All the while, however, Sportacus felt the need to say something, _anything_ to Robbie. He could still see that Robbie’s posture had grown far more tense, and that he kept his gaze away as far from him as he could while not being overtly obvious. It hurt Sportacus deeply, but he also understood.  
Revelation or not, this was all a lot, and Robbie was probably feeling the brunt of it, given just how much he was seeing and experiencing in one day.  
Sportacus made a note to himself to send Robbie a chocolate cake of some sorts after this whole ordeal was done, after his apology of course. He’d have to get his tongue unstuck to do that, of course.  
He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out.  
Sportacus kicked himself internally, feeling too stuck to say anything despite it being so necessary at the moment.

The two reached the monitor before Sportacus could formulate a proper apology or even the beginning to an apology.  
The monitor flickered back on, and Sabretooth’s silhouette appeared once more.  
“ _Well well, seems you two finished faster than I expected. How was Sendak? Are they still using those lovely, triple-padded walls in the solitary unit?_ ” He asked with a slightly jovial tone.  
Neither Sportacus nor Robbie entertained Sabretooth with a response, both instead frowning tiredly.  
“ _Hmph, how rude. You know, I could just decide to end your little friend for your rudeness. You’re both lucky I’m feeling patient today._ ” He said, glancing to their side. “ _So, where is our little convict?_ ”  
“Right here. Apologies for the delay.” Said Dingo, finally joining up and standing next to Sportacus.  
“ _Long time no see Dingo. You look well. How was Sendak prison? Comfy?_ ” asked Sabretooth, his venomous smile audible.  
“Don’t give me that crap, Sabretooth. You let me rot for over a decade in that hole.”  
“ _Yes, but I did send for your rescue eventually, didn’t I?_ ”  
“It took you a decade. Why now?”  
“ _I just needed the proper personnel. Lucky for you that I tracked down your son._ ” Said Sabretooth, looking over to address Sportacus. “ _You did well. I must say, judging by how quickly you brought Dingo back, you must be swiftly getting into the swing of things again._ ”  
“It’s only to get Stephanie back.” Sportacus reiterated annoyedly. “You said you had one last task for me, so just say it.”  
  
“ _Getting mouthy I see? Hmph, very well. You should be thankful that my last task will be even quicker than the last._ ” Muttered Sabretooth. “ _Your last task is to deal with one of our contacts, a man named Mike. He made a deal with us a while ago. For protection from our operatives, he would pay us a handsome sum each year. It’s been a little over a year, and he has yet to make his payment. Would you be a dear and retrieve it for us?_ ”  
“You want me to wrestle money out of him?”  
“ _Only if necessary. Who knows, maybe you’ll be lucky? Maybe Mike will just hand over the money, no questions asked. But don’t hesitate to deal with him accordingly if he_ does _act stubborn. He’s of no value to us after all_.”  
“You’re sick, Sabretooth.” Robbie commented.  
“ _Opinions, opinions._ ”  
“And if we get the money for you, you’ll let Stephanie go? Alive and unharmed?” Sportacus asked.  
“ _A deal is a deal, so yes. Though I must say, I’ll be sad to see you go once more. You really are a good operative. Quite important, quite…rare._ ” Noted Sabretooth.  
Sportacus frowned at Sabretooth.  
“ _I am serious._ ”  
“Never, not even in your wildest dreams.”  
“ _A shame._ ” Said Sabretooth, shrugging. “ _And I suppose you can leave with your son, Dingo. Consider it a retirement present from us, for so many years of service._ ”  
“Gee, thanks.” Said Dingo, crossing his arms.  
Sabretooth folded his hands and sat back once more.  
“ _Well, you three have some work to do. Mike is close by, less than ten minutes away by your airship. I’ve provided the address on the piece of paper. Have fun._ ”

The screen flickered to black, and the piece of paper fluttered underneath the screen, stopping right by Robbie’s shoe.  
Picking it up, Robbie led the group back out to the airship, walking away and missing Sportacus’s attempt to tap his arm and get his attention.  
Sportacus looked at his dad sadly, who simply nodded at him.  
“Come on, let’s get this job done. Your friend is waiting for us.” He said.  
Sportacus followed along close behind.

\--

Sportacus pulled on the break, stopping the airship above a ratty looking apartment complex on the edges of Central City. Below the street was darkened, with little in the realm of lighting or much of any illumination present. They were hovering just above the supposed address of this supposed Mike.  
“This is it? Wasn’t kidding when they said he wasn’t worth much. I’d say this apartment is barely worth the bricks it’s made of.” Noted Dingo, glancing out the window.  
Sportacus nodded.  
“This has to be it. The ship tracked the address to here. At least Sabretooth was right about this; it didn’t take that long to get here at all.” He said, leaping out of his pilot’s seat.  
Robbie looked uneasily at the apartment.  
Sportacus, noticing Robbie’s apprehension, looked over at his father.  
“Um, dad? Is it okay if you go first? We’ll catch up.” He said.  
“Right, sure. Just don’t take _too_ long; this is your assignment after all.” Said Dingo, calling out the command for the door to slide open. Once it opened, Dingo ran out and hopped off the platform.

Once Dingo was out of sight, Sportacus crossed over to Robbie, his arms crossed and one hand rubbing his arm awkwardly.  
“So, uh…” Sportacus said, feeling the thickness in his throat. He could see that Robbie was seemingly ignoring him. “…at least we’re almost done, right?”  
Robbie didn’t answer, staring out the door.  
Sportacus sighed.  
“Look, Robbie, I’m really sorry. Do you think we could talk about this? Maybe really quick at least?”   
Robbie glanced over his shoulder briefly.  
“Just really quick.” Sportacus reiterated.  
“I have too much to say for ‘really quick’.” Robbie said tersely.  
Sportacus’s ears drooped under his cap.  
“Right, that makes sense. Let’s get this done. Can we talk afterwards?” He suggested.  
Robbie looked away, his shoulders drooping.  
“Okay. Good. We’ll talk then.” Sportacus said quietly, passing without another word past the villain, pressing a button to lower a ladder for him.

Both men dropped down from the airship and into the alleyway, dingy and dark like the rest of the area. A single light flickered on and off up the building, flashing pale yellow light in a single circle on the ground. Cans and papers rolled and fluttered across the ground, catching on dark-colored puddles of mud and sinking deep in the indents. A single, mangy cat meowed and skittered across the alleyway, dipping into a trashcan.  
The two walked along, giving the occasional wary look to their surroundings, with Robbie scrunching his nose at the foul smell wafting from one specific trashcan. A clattering noise startled him momentarily, and both men looked behind them.  
They saw nothing, but a single can roll across the ground, and a single white van with a satellite dish parked across the road.  
Sportacus tapped Robbie’s shoulder and gestured him along, the two finally joining up with Dingo, who was standing by a door.  
“This is it, right? 2257?” He asked.  
Sportacus nodded, glancing at the paper in his hand.  
“Can’t be anywhere else. Guess I’ll go knock on the door?” He asked, looking towards his father.  
Dingo shrugged.  
“It’s up to you. It’s your task so handle it as you like.”  
“I was looking for advice.”  
“And I gave you some. Handle it as you like.”  
Sportacus groaned and shook his head, tromping up to the door. He gave it a firm and steady knock, stepping back as he heard noises from the other side.

There was a crashing and a clattering, sounds of things shifting about and a few grumbled curses, before the door swung harshly opened. The man wasn’t exactly the pinnacle of threatening, but he did look like an unpleasant sort of character. His balding head only seemed to “compliment” his sweat-soaked wife beater and nasty sweatpants. The man sniffed and glared at the door with a look that only cemented Sportacus’s assumption that a man who lived in a place like this had some sort of grudge against the world.  
“Well? What do you want? Who are you?” Asked the man gruffly.  
Sportacus snapped out of his stare.  
“Um, you’re Mike, aren’t you?”  
“Yeah, what about it?”  
“Because,” Sportacus said, clearing his throat and standing up taller. “Primal is wondering about their money. Do you have it?”  
Mike quirked an eyebrow, his gaze travelling up and down Sportacus’s body, before he sneered and scoffed.  
“Right, nice joke pal. Now how about you beat it before I break your skull open?” He said, starting to close the door.  
Sportacus threw his hand forward and forced the door back open, staring down at the man with furrowed brow.  
Mike’s face noticeably paled, his sneer vanishing.  
“I’m serious. I’ve been told that you owe Primal a bit of money, and I’m here to collect it. Do you have it or not?” Sportacus asked.  
Mike gulped down a breath, his gaze diverting to the side, where he noticed Robbie and Dingo standing off to the side. He cracked a small smile.  
“Huh, Primal must have fallen on hard times if _this_ is your form of back-up. Where’d you get the bean stalk?” He said, gesturing to Robbie.  
Robbie’s brow knit together, and he stared incredulously at the man.  
“Stop dodging the question, _Mike_.” Sportacus hissed, blocking Mike’s view. “The money; where is it?”  
Mike glared at Sportacus.  
“I’m not paying your crummy organization one penny. I made a deal that they’d protect me for a bit of my profits and they send me a bunch of rookies with not a lick of common sense. They expect me to pay a few thousand for _that_? I’d hire and pay some mall cops before I work with them again.”  
“We’re not here to listen to your complaints about Primal. You requested our services, so you must pay. No refunds.” Sportacus said, crossing his arms.

Mike sneered once more.  
“Like I’ll listen to some clown dressed up in a crappy superhero costume. You want money? You can take it from my _cold, dead body_. Until then, you ain’t getting anything.”  
Sportacus pinched the bridge of his nose and shoved his foot between the door and the frame, stopping Mike’s next attempt to slam the door shut.  
“Look, Mike,” Sportacus said, his tone shifting from threatening to pleading. “I don’t want to get this money from you. I just need to get it to Primal because they have a friend of mine tied up. She’s eight, and they’re threatening to kill her if I don’t get this money from you. Please, just this once, cooperate with us. You understand, don’t you?”  
Mike paused, before giving a mockingly sympathetic look.  
“Aww, well too bad. Nice sob story, but you still aren’t getting anything from me.”  
Sportacus’s eyes widened.  
“I’m telling you the truth! Stephanie’s life is at stake! Just hand over the money!”  
“Oh yeah? Make me care. So, some kid gets axed, big deal. Kids like her die every day. Why should I give you my hard-earned profits for that? Get lost.” Mike remarked, shoving the door harder.  
Sportacus, at that moment, gave the door a harder shove, sending the wood slamming against the wall. The cheap hotel chain snapped into hundreds of tiny pieces that rained down into the carpet.  
Mike yelped, sweat beading on his brow.  
“You care to repeat that?” Asked Sportacus coolly, a dangerous look forming in his eyes.  
Mike gulped, his gaze darkening.  
“Your little friend is as good as dead to me, buddy. I don’t care what you say or do, you won’t get a cent from me, and you won’t get one even if your little friend is – “

Dingo and Robbie jumped back and watched with widened eyes as Sportacus seized Mike by the shoulders and chucked him backwards, the man’s back slamming against the pavement.  
Before the man could even start to stand, Sportacus had leapt over to his side and dug his heel into his collarbone, eliciting a yelp from the man.  
“You take that back, you _sleazebag_.” Sportacus growled, glaring down into the man’s eyes. “You take that back, or _else_.”  
“P-Please! I’m sorry! J-Just don’t hurt me!” Whimpered Mike, lifting his hands up to shield his face.  
Sportacus crouched down, his foot digging deeper into the man’s shoulder.  
“Then where’s your money? You better start talking.”  
“I-In a little tin box! I swear, it’s all there! Just l-leave me alone!” Mike begged, his arms and legs visibly quivering.  
“Sportacus!” Robbie shouted.

Sportacus looked up, the rage in his eyes fading once he caught a glimpse of the villain.  
Robbie stood there, his face white as a sheet, standing a good few steps behind Dingo. His gaze was sad and pleading, his arms crossed close to his chest, his gaze fixed upon the hero and the man he pinned beneath his foot.  
Sportacus’s eyes widened and his gaze slowly travelled back to Mike. He watched as the man squirmed and whimpered, struggling fruitlessly to lift Sportacus’s foot off his chest.  
Oh, Sportacus was still angry with Mike, and he could definitely keep the crook laying on the ground, pinned under his boot. But if he even slightly hurt the man, he knew that would guarantee that Robbie would never trust him ever again.  
He'd be the monster that Robbie must think he is.  
Horrified, Sportacus lifted his foot off and looked apologetically at the man, his hands shaking and trembling.  
“J-Just…where is the money? I’ll go get it and leave everything else alone. Promise.” Sportacus said quietly, his voice trembling.  
Mike, shaking like a leaf, pointed a trembling hand towards the door.  
“The t-tin is by my bedroom. First door on the r-r-right.” He said.  
Sportacus nodded and, wordlessly, he jogged through the door.

Mike’s apartment was as nasty as Sportacus imagined, with mold sprawling over the corners and top borders of the walls and the carpet clearly uncleaned for several years. Sportacus, however, gave these little mind as he entered Mike’s bedroom and easily found the tiny tin box sitting on the dresser. Opening it, he took only the exact amount Sabretooth had mentioned and tucked it into his vest’s inner pocket before turning and exiting the room and apartment.  
When Sportacus walked outside, he could see Mike still sprawled out on the ground, his eyes fixed fearfully on the hero. Robbie still stood in his same spot, though the color had returned to his face. His father simply watched with little expression, though his eyes were set on the scrambling Mike.  
Sportacus passed by Mike and gave him a glance.  
“Thank you.” He simply said softly, before walking away.  
Joining back up with Dingo and Robbie, Sportacus paused by the villain.  
He looked at him with a slightly worried look.  
“I’m sorry if I scared you.” He said.  
Robbie furrowed his brow.  
“I’m…I’m just glad this went smoothly enough.” He simply said. “And I’m glad we’re finally done.”  
Sportacus felt his face fall as he heard Robbie’s terse response. His ears drooped; clearly this whole experience hadn’t helped his case with Robbie, even if in the end his actions were understandable. It was going to take a lot more than _not_ hurting someone to convince Robbie he was still the same Sportacus.  
Dingo patted Sportacus’s back.  
“Come on, let’s get back to the airship. Sabretooth isn’t a patient man.”  
“Dad, did I do an okay job?” Sportacus asked quickly, looking at his father pleadingly.  
Dingo stroked his chin and shrugged.  
“Well, no one’s dead, and you got the money. I’d call that good.”  
A frown formed on Sportacus’s face.  
“You did what you had to do. Trust me, I don’t blame you for getting angry. Now let’s get back to headquarters.” Dingo said, leading the way.  
Sportacus, uneasily, began to follow along.

Mike, in the meantime, had finally started to get his bearings. A boiling feeling bubbled in his chest and face, and the fear-fueled adrenaline soon turned to rage and humiliation. Panting and gasping, his arms still shaking, he drew himself up onto his knees and fumbled about his pockets. Shakily he pulled out a small handgun and trained the trembling sight towards Robbie.  
“No way are you lot getting away after humiliating _me_.” Hissed Mike, cocking the gun.  
Sportacus’s ear twitched at the sound and as he turned back towards the noise, his pupils shrunk at the sight.  
Immediately Sportacus shoved Robbie away, the villain tumbling into a pile of garbage.  
“What the – “Robbie started, his comment interrupted by the echoing blast.  
Near instantly after Robbie heard the sound, he watched as Sportacus’s face went a pale white and he doubled over, tumbling onto his knees. At the same moment, Dingo’s face twisted into an expression of cold anger as he darted forward faster than Robbie had seen _Sportacus_ run. He could hear a whining yelp that most likely came from Mike as he stumbled forward, darting to Sportacus’s side.  
Robbie glanced over only for a second, seeing Dingo readily wrestle the gun from Mike’s hand before throwing the man into a trashcan, knocking him out cold.  
“S-Sportacus! Sportacus, please talk to me.” Robbie said, gently shaking the hero’s shoulder.  
Sportacus groaned and pulled away his hand, its palm coated red.  
“D-Dangit…” The hero muttered, curling in on himself.  
Robbie’s eyes began to water as he looked up at Dingo pleadingly.  
Dingo ran back over, immediately scooping his son up into his arms.  
“Dingo, is he…?” Robbie asked fearfully.  
“I can either talk or help him. Which one do you want?” Dingo said tersely, not waiting for Robbie as he carried Sportacus back towards the ship’s ladder.

Robbie shut his mouth as he quickly followed after Dingo, clutching a low rung on the ladder as Dingo called for the ship to lift them back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the long pause between updates, life got SUPER crazy. But now things are starting to calm down again so hopefully I can write more soon.
> 
> Sorry for hurting Sportacus more. I can't promise it'll get better for any of them any time soon XD
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	5. A Moment to Breathe

As soon as the three were safely back onto the airship, Dingo called for the ship to lower the bed. The airship complied and as soon as the bed was lowered to an optimal position, Dingo laid Sportacus down as gently as he could.

Sportacus’s brow was drenched with sweat as he clenched his teeth, hissing and groaning as he clasped at his wound.  
“Oh, knock that off. The more you grab at it, the longer it’ll take for me to get it out.” Dingo said disapprovingly, pawing at the walls of the ship.  
Sportacus shuddered and laid his head back against the mattress, his chest raising and lowering in labored breaths. A few tears escaped him as he tried to stare at the ceiling, focusing on anything other than the burning pain coursing through his veins. That task, however, was nearly impossible.  
It wasn’t like Sportacus hadn’t taken a bullet before, but it had been a while.  
Oh gods, he’d forgotten just how much it all _hurt_.  
Running his teeth against his lower lip, Sportacus stifled a whine as he glanced over at his father. He could see him still struggling to find the medical equipment.  
“First aid kit.” Sportacus mumbled, gritting his teeth as another wave of pain coursed through him.  
A blue kit sprang up from the wall, which Dingo caught with minimal surprise. He set the box down on a ledge and began digging through its contents, setting aside various tools and supplies.  
Sportacus forced his eyes shut, trying once again to distract himself from the pain. His mind was starting to swim in the adrenaline and pain he was experiencing, and it was getting all too much. More tears escaped him.

Then, he felt a hand against his arm.  
His eyes opening, Sportacus glanced over, seeing Robbie gently hold onto his arm, his fingers gently smoothing over the shirt fabric. The man himself had directed his gaze towards the floor, but Sportacus knew that he was mostly holding his arm.  
“R-Robbie?” Sportacus mumbled, before hissing once more from another wave of pain.  
Robbie looked up momentarily and gave Sportacus’s arm another gentle squeeze.  
“It’s, um, it’s okay. I think your dad is looking for something to help you.” Said Robbie quietly.   
“You’re…?”  
“Oh, here he comes right now. Keep, uh, keep holding on, okay?” Robbie said steadily, looking straight into Sportacus’s eyes.  
Sportacus shut his mouth and gave a small nod. Looking over, Sportacus’s pupils momentarily shrunk as his father pulled out a pair of sterilized tweezers and antiseptic wipes.  
“Uh, Dingo? Did you forget the thread and needles?  I just think – “Robbie said, looking over.  
“Robbie, who’s the one who’s been shot before? How about the one with experience patching up gunshot wounds?” Dingo asked, not looking up from his work.  
Robbie’s lips drew into a thin line as he sat back, giving a quick, nasty look to Dingo as he did.  
“Thought so.” Dingo said, pulling on a pair of latex gloves. “Sportacus, are you ready?”  
“As ready as I’ll ever be.” Sportacus said through gritted teeth.  
“Just remember to breathe, son.” Dingo said, steadying the wound opening.

Dingo’s work was steady as his hands, as bulky and built as they were, were surprisingly nimble and precise as he prodded around for the bullet shrapnel. Robbie could feel each time Sportacus tensed and flinched, his arm tensing and relaxing at random intervals.  
At one point, Sportacus groaned loudly and began to whimper miserably.  
“N-No more, it hurts!” He muttered.  
Robbie’s face fell and grew pale.  
“I’m almost done Sportacus. Just hold on for one more second.” Dingo said calmly, clicking at some shrapnel with the tweezers.  
Sportacus gasped and shuddered as Dingo pulled out the first large piece of the bullet. Robbie grimaced as he glanced at the metal, all dulled gray and coated with a thin sheen of blood.  
“One down. I saw two more pieces.” Dingo noted thoughtfully as he plopped the first piece into a petri dish. He wiped at the wound with one of the wipes.  
Sportacus sniffed.  
“You okay there, champ?”  
Sportacus gave a shallow nod back.  
“Okay, I’m taking out the next piece.” Noted Dingo, tugging gently at a slightly smaller piece of bullet scrap.  
With the second piece removed, Sportacus grunted uncomfortably. Robbie continued to stay by his side, watching Dingo work carefully and methodically.  
After another minute, Dingo plopped the third and last piece of metal into the petri dish. He wiped his brow and stood up straight, cracking his back.  
“Alright, that should do it. We’re good.” He said.  
Robbie furrowed his brow.  
“You didn’t stitch up the wound.”  
“No need to.”  
“What?! That bullet went deep, what are you talking about?!”  
Dingo gestured Robbie over and, when the man hesitated, gave him a firm tug to bring him around to his side.  
“Watch.” He said quietly.

Robbie watched uneasily as Sportacus finally went quiet, his head slacking against the pillow. At first, nothing seemed to happen, which would’ve terrified Robbie had he not seen Sportacus’s chest continue to rise and fall so at least he was still alive.  
Then, two minutes later, Robbie could see the faintest glow begin to build around the wound’s opening.  
Said glow grew brighter and brighter, a sky-blue color emanating from the mess of blood.  
Robbie shielded his eyes yet continued to watch, his eyes widening as he watched the glow.  
Before his eyes, the wound seemed to be shrinking. Droplets of blood evaporated and left little mark on the skin. The wound contracted and pulled together, a dull hum filling the air as the glow continued to shine brightly.  
Within seconds, the glow vanished, and all that was left of the wound was a faint, pale pink scar that ran barely an inch in length.  
Sportacus’s breathing, once slightly labored, finally relaxed and resumed a more normal pace.  
Dingo looked over, seeing how Robbie’s mouth had dropped open and his pupils had grown to golf ball size.  
“See, told you no reason to worry.” Dingo noted, slapping Robbie on the back.  
Robbie flinched and nearly tipped forward, righting himself at the last minute. He looked over at Dingo, his stunned expression clearly apparent.  
“H-How…what…how did you know that would happen?” He asked.  
“I first saw it when Sportacus was little.” Dingo explained. “He scraped his knee while working on his handsprings. Hyena told me to get the first-aid kit, but by the time I came back his knee was completely healed.”  
“Like magic?”  
“He is an elf after all.”

Robbie nodded, feeling a little dumb. Yeah, he probably should’ve guessed that Sportacus’s elven biology would grant him some special abilities, so innate healing magic shouldn’t be so far out there.  
Still though, it would’ve been nice if Dingo had just _said_ that in the first place. Robbie was beginning to doubt that Dingo felt any sort of good feelings towards him.  
“So…he’s okay, right? Nothing else we should worry about?” He asked.  
“Well, physically he’s fine. Now emotionally, we’ll have to see. Not too many people just shake off a bullet wound, even with magic healing powers.” Dingo said.  
“Right.” Robbie noted quietly, looking back at Sportacus.  
Dingo quirked an eyebrow and, unseen to Robbie, he gave the barest smirk.  
“Well, suppose I’ll get the airship up the cloud layer again. Don’t want Mike calling the cops on us, even if he deserves to lay in the trash forever.” Dingo noted as he started to walk away.  
“Dingo, wait – “Robbie started, turning around.

Dingo stopped.

“Just…just how _did_ you end up with Sportacus? As far as I know elves don’t just fall out of the sky and I’ve never heard of a human couple raising an elf. Unless – “  
“No, neither of us are elves.” Dingo responded, crossing his arms. “And, well, you’re right. They don’t. They pop up in alleys.”  
Robbie furrowed his brow.  
“What?”  
“Well, Sportacus did.” Dingo said, leaning against the wall. “He was about five when Hyena and I found him. We were finishing a bank heist when she found him in the alleyway. He was sobbing and blubbering about his home and something about his parents apparently. Guess he’d accidentally teleported himself away from home. No clue why he popped up in our city, but he did.”  
“I’ll be honest, I originally was gonna leave him there. We had the cops on our tail and dragging a kid around would only slow us down. But Hyena, well, she always had a soft spot in her heart. She insisted that we took him along and, well, Hyena was the one person I could never win an argument with. She was always the strongest of us. We tried to find Sportacus’s home, but somehow the trail went cold. No one could find his home on a map, and he couldn’t find it himself through pointing it out. He was pretty much stuck with us.”  
“He couldn’t teleport himself back?” Asked Robbie.  
“Nope. Trust me, he tried. Guess it was a one-time deal, or he just never figured out how he did the spell in the first place.” Dingo said, shrugging. “Hyena was the one who insisted we formally adopt him. Me, I was never great with kids and I didn’t like them. Still don’t to some degree. But I also didn’t want Hyena to raise him alone. Not sure how great of parents we ended up being, but he’s alive at least. That must be worth something.”  
“Well I can’t agree with letting your kid go into organized crime…” Robbie said thoughtfully.  
“No choice there. If Sportacus, or Blue Jackal, was going to live with us, he had to work. Sabretooth made him. He was just lucky that, despite being a softy, he was pretty good as a thief.” Dingo said. “Other than that, I suppose he had a normal childhood. Better than Hyena and mine at least.”  
“As normal as it can be?”  
Dingo nodded, his expression softening.  
“That’s all to Hyena’s credit though. She’s…well she was probably the greatest at being a mom. Sportacus could tell you that though.”

Robbie looked over at Sportacus, his own expression darkening.  
“He’s going to be okay, Robbie. Just give him a few more minutes and he’ll wake up. I’ll just get the ship into the cloud layer really quick.” Dingo said, walking over to the cockpit.   
Robbie watched Dingo thoughtfully before his gaze returned to Sportacus. He watched as his chest rose and fell peacefully, his expression relaxed into a calm look.  
Robbie put his hands in his pockets and, carefully, sat at the foot of the bed.

\--

The first feeling that hit Sportacus as he woke up was an encompassing soreness. He shifted and moved about, groaning as he felt the dull pain race from his side. Carefully he lifted up his shirt and traced the scar with his finger. The wound was still slightly tender, but comparably the pain was near completely eased.  
He sighed and started to slide back down onto the mattress when he noticed someone laying at the foot of the bed.  
Sitting up, Sportacus paused. A small smile crossed his face.  
Robbie laid there, curled up into a little ball, somehow managing to fit his entire body at the very end of the bed.  
Sportacus prepared to lay back down when he saw Robbie stir, his eyelids slowly opening.  
Robbie’s eyes widened as he sat up straight.  
“You’re up.” He said.  
“I am.” Sportacus said with a smirk.

The two fell silent, both looking a bit awkward.

“H-How do you feel?” Robbie asked.  
“Sore, but alive.” Sportacus said with a laugh. “Uh, how about you?”  
“Stiff. I guess sleeping on one-eighth of a tiny bed isn’t great for your body.” Robbie said, cracking his neck and back.  
Sportacus chuckled before he sat back, his smile fading.  
“I, um, wanted to know something. Would you be ready to talk now?” He asked quietly.  
Robbie’s smile faded.  
“I…I suppose so.” He said.  
“I-I’m glad.” Sportacus said. “Or, uh, well I mean that I’m glad we can…we can talk.”  
Robbie sat there, watching patiently.  
“I’m,” Sportacus started, sighing quietly. “I’m really sorry. I should’ve told you about Primal and that I was a member long ago.”  
“Why didn’t you?”  
“I was…scared. I wasn’t sure how you’d react or what you’d do with that information. But I do want you to know that I’m not part of Primal. Honest. I left years ago to be a hero and…and I won’t hurt anyone. Not you, not the kids. No one.”  
Robbie looked unmoved, his gaze drifting to the bed.  
“Are you okay?” asked Sportacus.  
  
Robbie closed his eyes and sighed.  
“No. This is all weird, Sportacus. I’m trying to not let it be weird, but it is.” He said, looking back up at Sportacus. “You understand, right?”  
“I think? Dad was telling me a little about what you said, but he focused more on the ‘child killer’ thing.” Sportacus said.  
“No, I know you wouldn’t do that. I’m not stupid.” Robbie said, scrunching his nose. “But I…I also didn’t know _what_ to believe or feel anymore about you. Part of me knows you’re still the same, stupid Sportacus, but this is still messing me up. Before all this, I couldn’t imagine you squishing a bug on purpose. Now I’m trying to understand that you used to rob banks and swipe treasures.”  
“I think I get that. I did lie to you, that would make this all hard.” Sportacus said, his ears drooping.  
“It’s not just that.” Robbie said, crossing his arms. “It’s just…you’re _Sportacus_. You’re a _hero_. A good guy, someone who does the right things and says the right things at the right times, always. Someone who’s beloved and cherished and…”  
Robbie stopped, realizing the room was growing increasingly blurry. Realizing why, he wiped at his eyes as discretely as possible.  
“…not me.” He finished quietly.  
“Oh Robbie…” Sportacus said softly.  
“It’s a lot of things. You once being a worse criminal than me is confusing enough because it changes how I can think about you. But now it’s not just that. Now it all doesn’t make sense. You aren’t some paragon of goodness, you’ve messed up as bad as I have.”  
Sportacus’s face fell, making Robbie cringe.  
“I, uh, didn’t mean it like that. Sorry.”  
“It’s okay. Continue.” Sportacus said with a weak smile.  
Robbie looked down awkwardly.  
“What I meant was, I thought you and other heroes are completely perfect. I thought that that perfection _made_ you beloved. At least that would explain why people never liked me; I screw up _constantly_. But now…now that doesn’t make sense. You’ve been through so much too, yet everyone likes you. People don’t like me though.”  
“That’s not true! The kids love your plans and tricks!” Sportacus said, leaning forward.  
Robbie snorted.  
“Right, but they love it much more when you show up and save the day.”  
“They enjoy all of it, Robbie.”  
“Nice to see you lying again, Sportaflop.”  
“ _Robbie_ ,” Sportacus said, sighing. “I’m not lying. Everyone likes you and enjoys your company. I’m sure if you asked them, they’d agree with me.”  
Sportacus leaned forward and, for a moment, his hand grazed Robbie’s.  
Both men froze, their faces turning pink.  
Sportacus sat back and shook his head.  
“Y-You’re a good person, Robbie. Maybe you’ve messed up in the past, but we all do. What matters is who you are now, and the people who like you and care for you now.”

Robbie paused, a small smile crossing his face. He chuckled sadly and shook his head.  
Sportacus looked confused, furrowing his brow.  
“Sorry. It was just kind of, weirdly, nice to hear you talking in your usual, flippity-good-good style.”  
Sportacus gave a half-smile.  
“It isn’t annoying you?”  
“Maybe it’s just because of everything that’s happened lately, but strangely no. Feels like the most normal thing that’s happened since we left.”  
“I should’ve gotten that on video. Something tells me you’ll never say that again.” Sportacus said with a smirk.  
Robbie gave him a look.  
“You must be feeling better. You’re giving me sass.”  
“I guess so.” Sportacus said. “Then again, you might be right.”  
Sportacus sighed and fell back against the bed.  
“You look like you need another nap.” Noted Robbie.  
“Then I’d be acting too much like _you_ , wouldn’t that be weird?” Sportacus mumbled.  
“Wow, ouch. Besides, I’ll take you napping over, I don’t know, robbing banks.” Robbie said.  
“That makes sense. And sorry.” Sportacus said, sitting up slightly.  
“No worries.” Robbie said, giving a handwave.  
Sportacus laid back down on the bed, adjusting to make himself comfortable. After a moment he looked back over, raising an eyebrow.  
“Don’t you want to lay down too?” He asked.  
Robbie looked over.  
“Well, not like there’s another bed.”  
“You can lay down over here.”  
Robbie’s face instantly darkened to a bright pink.  
“Come again?”  
“I can make room.” Said Sportacus, scooching over to the left. “It’s not great, but it’s better than the floor.”  
“Isn’t that, you know…weird?” Robbie asked, feeling his heart beat faster.  
“Well, I suppose, but I’m not bothered. It’s up to you though.” Sportacus said.  
Robbie gulped, feeling his face burn warmer. His hands began to sweat.  
“Robbie?”  
“S-Shut up!” He said, crawling over and lying next to him.

Robbie couldn’t believe it. He was laying on a bed, right next to Sportacus.  
This should be much weirder, and admittedly it still was, but it was also strangely…not as bad as Robbie thought?  
Granted he laid stiff as a board on the mattress, his arms plastered to his sides to avoid accidentally touching the hero, but it was still not as bad as he thought.  
Which was disconcerting. He’d been having a lot of disconcerting thoughts lately hasn’t he?  
He could hear Sportacus’s breathing he was so close.  
He slept so peacefully, nothing like how Robbie slept. It never surprised Robbie if he’d wake up a tangled knot of limbs from just how restless he slept.  
“ _Well, at least Sportacus will see how foolish his offer was when my arm whacks him in the face._ ” Thought Robbie, chuckling to himself.  
Still, he kept his arms close to his sides.  
All that thinking about keeping as much space as he could without falling off the bed, of course, wasn’t particularly conducive to falling asleep as Robbie laid there, staring at the ceiling.  
How in the world was Sportacus _sleeping_ with how weird this was?  
“ _Maybe…maybe I’m the only one making this weird. Maybe I shouldn’t be worrying._ ” Robbie thought passively, his body relaxing just slightly.

Then Sportacus rolled over to the side facing Robbie, his arm gently laying over Robbie’s chest.

Robbie nearly yelped, his face instantly burning a bright red.  
“ _Okay, never mind, it’s not just me._ ” He thought, glancing over.  
Sportacus’s eyes were still shut, his chest raising up and down slowly.  
It seemed that he was still asleep? Was he…not aware of what was happening?  
Robbie wasn’t sure how he felt about that. Either way, he started to carefully move the hero’s arm up and off him and tried to ignore the nagging wish to just leave it be.  
As he tried, however, he froze as he heard Sportacus make a small sound. He felt Sportacus’s arm tense as he was pulled closer to him, the gap closing until there was barely half an inch of space between the two of them.  
Robbie’s heart was beating in his ears.  
This was some sort of weird nightmare…dream…whatever, wasn’t it?  
Robbie, experimentally, budged Sportacus’s hand. It moved ever so slightly, so Robbie wasn’t completely stuck. He could get out.  
Now he just needed to do that.  
…  
He needed to get up.  
…  
Right now. Time to get up.  
…  
Why wasn’t he getting up?  
…  
He was starting to feel a bit sleepy. For the first time in some time, Robbie actually felt relaxed.  
Relaxed? Robbie Rotten? As odd as that seemed, it’s what he felt.  
He felt relaxed cuddling next to _Sportacus_.  
But why? It made no sense.  
That is, unless –

“ _Friends cuddle right?? Right! Friends cuddle like this all the time. This is normal. Just friend stuff. Completely just friend stuff._ ” Robbie thought, chewing on his bottom lip.

Yeah, that’s it.  
That’s it.  
…  
Robbie looked back over, watching quietly as Sportacus continued to sleep soundly.  
He could feel his cheeks grow warmer as he, finally, slowly, let his own arm gently cross over and lay atop Sportacus’s.  
“ _Just friends, nothing more._ ” Robbie reassured himself as his heart beat faster.  
Robbie could feel his eyelids droop, his back finally untensing as he felt himself relax again.  
“ _Just friends. Just friends._ ”  
As he began to drift off, Robbie felt himself turn over towards Sportacus but, strangely, he didn’t panic.  
He was too tired to even think about it.  
“ _Just friends…just friends…this is nice._ ” He thought to himself as he finally fell asleep.

\--

“Hey, you two, time to get up. We’re here.”

Robbie grunted and sighed, smacking his lips as his eyelids slowly fluttered open.  
“Sorry to wake you both. You both look comfortable, but we got your little friend to save right?” Dingo said, his arms crossed and his expression knowing.  
“ _You both?_ ” Thought Robbie confusedly, his answer coming in the form of Sportacus’s face moving against his shoulder.  
Slowly Robbie’s gaze slid down, fixing upon a mass of blonde curls that were currently affixed to his shoulder. Sportacus sighed and shifted, still not completely awake.  
Robbie’s pupils shrunk.  
“I, uh, y-yeah! Yeah, we should _get up_ , shouldn’t we Sportaflop?” Robbie asked through gritted teeth as he squirmed and struggled to get free of Sportacus’s cuddle.  
Sportacus, still groggy, came to suddenly and looked up, realizing only then that the two men were nearly wrapped up in each other’s arms, with Robbie working to get loose.  
Sportacus’s own eyes widened as he pulled his arms back, finally letting Robbie tumble off the mattress.  
“Robbie! Are you okay?” Sportacus asked, peering over the mattress’s edge.  
“Fine, I’m fine! Let’s not mention this again, okay?” asked Robbie grumpily, standing to his feet and brushing off his vest.  
Sportacus’s ears drooped and his face fell, but nonetheless, he nodded.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A nice little breather chapter before the next one comes around >:) I'm hoping to post that next chapter later on today, so stay tuned!
> 
> Both chapters were supposed to be just one, but due to the length and tone shift I felt it was better to split them up. Not sure how I feel about certain parts of this chapter, but hopefully it's all still enjoyable.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Turn of An Unwelcome Card

Sportacus and Robbie walked up to Dingo, who sat at the airship’s control with a worried look on his face.

“Why aren’t we landing, Dad? You said we were here.” Asked Sportacus, walking up first.  
Dingo shook his head and pointed to the ground.  
Sportacus looked over, furrowing his brow until he saw what his dad was pointing at.  
From up where they were, they looked like little ants. But Sportacus had an idea of what, or who, they could be.  
“Agents?” He asked.  
Dingo nodded.  
“Something tells me that Sabretooth isn’t planning on keeping his end of the bargain. No one would have that much security if they’re simply planning on handing over a hostage.” He said.  
“Good point, but what should we do?” asked Sportacus, watching thoughtfully.  
Dingo sighed and sat back, stroking his beard.  
“Sabretooth needs to see you, right? He’s the one who got you in this mess in the first place. I can handle the agents if you seal the deal with Sabretooth.”  
“I’m not letting you go alone, Dad. That many agents? Even you would get overwhelmed.” Said Sportacus, frowning.  
“The answer’s in front of you, Sportadummy. I’ll go with your dad while you hurry up and finish the deal with Sabretooth.” Said Robbie, giving the hero a look.  
Sportacus looked over worriedly.  
“Robbie, those agents are armed. With _guns_. Are you sure you want to go with my dad?” He asked quietly.  
“Wouldn’t be any worse than what we dealt with at the prison.” Noted Robbie nonchalantly. “Besides, if we’re gonna take them out and maybe find Pinky, it’d be best if I’m there. She won’t recognize your dad, but I hope she’d recognize me, even if she isn’t happy to see me.”  
“Robbie, she’ll – “Started Sportacus disapprovingly.  
“Then it’s settled. We’ll look for your friend while you handle Sabretooth.” Interrupted Dingo, who tossed Robbie his ice axe.

Sportacus looked worriedly at Robbie, who fumbled about with the ice axe before finally getting a solid grip on the tool. Biting his lip, he approached Robbie.  
“Robbie, I – “He started.  
“I’ll be fine, Sportacow. Hopefully we’re just overpreparing.” Robbie responded.  
“N-No, I get that.” Sportacus said, looking at him sadly. “I was going to ask if you’re okay? I-I’m sorry about, you know, earlier. I didn’t realize – “  
“Look, just drop it, okay? We don’t have to talk about it ever again, and I’d personally prefer if we didn’t.” Robbie said, a hint of bitterness in his voice.  
Sportacus looked down sadly.  
“Okay Robbie.” He said.  
“Are you both ready?” asked Dingo, pressing the button for the door.  
“I think so.” Said Sportacus, jogging over towards the door, Robbie following close behind.

The trio scaled down the ladder to the ground, standing still and watching as another troop of agents trotted around the exterior, ducking around a corner.  
“We’ll follow that group and look for the girl. You go ahead and handle Sabretooth.” Dingo said.  
“Right.” Sportacus said.  
“And son?”  
“Hmm?”  
Dingo nodded at him.  
“Good luck, and don’t die.”  
Sportacus smirked and nodded.  
“Thanks dad.” He said, before looking at Robbie. “I’ll see you in a bit, Robbie.”  
“Right. See you.” Robbie said quietly, not looking him in the eyes.  
Sportacus ignored how hurt he felt at the moment and instead ran towards the entrance and through the front doors.

“Okay Robbie let’s get going. Get that axe of yours ready; something tells me we’ll have a few agents to deal with.” Dingo said, starting ahead.  
Robbie nodded and brandished his ice axe, following close behind.  
The two darted around the corner, freezing only once they saw the two agents guarding the side door. Dingo plucked two rocks off the ground and bounced them in his hand.  
“How good is your aim?” He asked.  
“Abysmal.”  
“Well, at least you’re honest. I’ll take these two out. Get ready to run inside.” He said.  
Robbie snorted.  
“I should’ve never tried to sneak onto the airship. I wouldn’t if I’d known I’d be running for a day straight.”  
Dingo hushed Robbie and, winding back, he chucked the two stones in rapid succession, beaning both guards. The two slumped to the ground, their guns clattering away from them.  
“Go!” Hissed Dingo, and Robbie went.  
Panting, Robbie paused only to scoop one of the rifles off the ground before he burst through the front doors, only getting a second to register the fact that three other agents were ready and waiting for him.  
Running on sheer adrenaline, Robbie screamed and lifted the rifle, firing wildly at the trio and missing every shot. The three agents leapt to the ground, dropping their weapons. Dingo ran up from behind and knocked out the trio with another rifle.  
“Nice strategy Robbie. I thought you’d do fine.” Dingo said approvingly, searching the unconscious guards’ pockets for extra ammo and any sort of keycards.  
“I think my heart is about to explode.” Gasped Robbie, his face growing pale as the adrenaline continued to course through his body.  
“You’ll get used to that.” Dingo said, leading the charge forward once more, ignoring the cursing Robbie following him.

The two continued ahead, passing by endless abandoned rooms and corridors, following the sounds of agents and other movements that seemed to be originating towards the back of the base. Dingo loaded his rifle and, as they ran around another corner, he lifted and fired it at a few hapless guards marching further down the hallway.  
Robbie cringed and averted his eyes, focusing his energy on not dropping his gun out of horror.  
Another group of five agents charged them both, batons and guns at the ready. Dingo fired at three of them as Robbie lifted his ice axe, swinging the blunt end at the head of one agent. The first went down easily. The second put up more of a fight, throwing a punch that grazed Robbie’s cheek and sent spikes of pain lacing through his face.  
Growling, Robbie felt the adrenaline build again as he elbowed the agent in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Dingo had just finished taking out the other agents at that point, thus the two continued onwards immediately afterwards.  
Down more corridors and hallways they went, keeping a steady pace until the last hallway they were running down opened to a wide garage-like room. A dozen agents stood at the ready, forming a semi-circle formation with their weapons drawn.  
Robbie squinted his eyes and, just barely, he could see someone across the large room.  
Someone decked out in pink.  
“ _Stephanie_.” Robbie thought, his eyes widening.  
Dingo gritted his teeth and lifted his gun once more.  
The agents shouted and charged forward, the few with guns firing towards Dingo and Robbie.  
Dingo grabbed Robbie and rolled out of the way of the first wave of bullets, rolling to a halt a few feet away and firing at the agents, taking out two of them.  
Robbie wrestled his way out of Dingo’s grip and took up his gun again, holding it like a bat. Two agents rushed at him, which he dispatched with several lucky whacks with his rifle. His face went white as three other agents prepared to jump him, their weapons ready to take off his head.  
Dingo made quick work of those three agents, shooting them before they could even touch Robbie’s hair, their bodies falling to the ground.  
“T-Thanks, I think.” Robbie mumbled, looking uneasily at the bodies.  
“Better them than you.” Dingo responded, socking another agent in the face.

Agent after agent fell as Robbie and Dingo worked their way through the massive crowd. Robbie cringed as an agent kicked him in the stomach, which he responded to with a knee to their chin. Dingo continued working to take out the other agents, firing dozens of bullets into their groups. Robbie threw his ice axe, whacking an agent in the head and knocking them out readily. With the crowd thinning, Robbie ran ahead, retrieving his ice axe as he prepared to face the last two agents guarding Stephanie.  
Stephanie cried out in surprise, her words muffled by the gag.  
Robbie readied his ice axe and, in one swing, took out the first agent. As the first one tumbled to the ground, Robbie hip-checked the second agent, sending her tumbling down to Dingo’s level. Dingo took quick care of her, whacking her in the head with the butt of his gun.  
With all the other agents dispatched, Robbie ran up to Stephanie, using his ice axe to saw away at the ropes binding her arms and legs. Once Stephanie was free and her gag was removed, she leapt into Robbie’s arms, causing him to drop his ice axe.  
“Oh Robbie, thank god you came! These guys are super scary, and I-I thought I’d be trapped forever! I-I tried to escape, but they made it impossible…” She said, sniffling between words.  
“It’s okay, kid. You’re safe now.” Robbie said quietly, hugging her back.  
Stephanie wiped away her tears, looking at Robbie with a small smile.  
“I’m kind of surprised _you’re_ the one who’s here. I thought Sportacus would’ve come for me.” She said.  
“He’s here. He’s just handling the jerk who kidnapped you in the first place.” Noted Dingo, finally joining up with Robbie.  
Stephanie looked confusedly at him.  
“Oh, right. Stephanie, this is Sportacus’s dad.” Robbie said.  
“Pleasure to meet you.” Said Dingo, holding out a hand.  
Stephanie uneasily shook his hand.  
“You shot those guys.” She said.  
“Well, ‘fraid it was either them or you. And you’re sort of the priority here. Sorry.” Said Dingo, shrugging.  
“I-It’s okay.” Said Stephanie uncomfortably, looking over at the bodies.

Robbie adjusted his grip on Stephanie and, with her help, he moved her over to his back, so she could hang on more comfortably.  
“Come on, let’s go find Sportacus and get you out of here.” He said.

\--

Sportacus’s pace ground to a steady walk as he emerged from the hallway and entered the darkened room. His expression had hardened into a weary frown, and he looked about warily as he entered the room with the monitor.  
The room was darker than it had been earlier.  
Sportacus furrowed his brow and marched forward towards the monitor.  
“Okay Sabretooth, I finished your chores. We had a deal, so let Stephanie go and leave me alone.” He said in a firm voice.

The screen flickered on, the silhouetted image of Sabretooth filling it once more. The man slowly clapped, his grin partially visible.  
“ _Well well, nicely done. I must say, you’ve really done a stand-up job. If I hadn’t known, I would’ve never guessed you’d been out of our particular line of work for years. Really, you put the other agents to shame._ ” Sabretooth said.  
“Enough with the compliments. Let Stephanie go and never contact me again.” Sportacus said, crossing his arms.  
Sabretooth’s clapping slowed, and he lowered his hands. He resumed a more formal posture.  
“ _So, still stubborn as ever? Come now, be honest with me: didn’t you enjoy your little return to our work just a bit?_ ”  
“I’m not humoring you.” Sportacus said.  
“ _Hmm, funny. You’re so adamant about not enjoying our little deal, yet your biometrics say the exact opposite._ ” Said Sabretooth, lifting up a few pieces of paper. “ _Yes, we tracked your vital signs during the mission. Lovely how we can afford such wonderful technology, yes?_ ”  
Sportacus lowered his eyes.  
“ _Either way, all of our data said that, even if you won’t admit it, you_ loved _doing our work again, didn’t you? Adrenaline, endorphins, all went up when you were stealing and sneaking about. It must’ve been such a change of pace, wasn’t it? I can’t imagine that helping a few snot-nosed children with their bruised knees and broken kites was_ really _all that satisfying for you._ ”  
Sportacus furrowed his brow deeper.  
“ _Admit it Sportacus, you_ missed _and_ loved _the challenge. You missed having your limits pushed and beaten. You missed having that rush that only our work could afford you. Admit it, your current job is wasting your talents. Can you really say that you feel fulfilled doing nothing but drying tears and saving kittens from trees all day, every day, for the rest of your life?_ ”

Sportacus glowered at Sabretooth.  
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it won’t work. I love my job, and I love being able to help the kids in LazyTown. This was never about the physical challenge, this was about doing good for other people. And I know that there was _absolutely_ no way I could do _any_ good working for a monster like you.”  
Sabretooth sat back.  
“ _I see. How sad that you let your talents be wasted, but I suppose I can’t change that._ ”  
“Let Stephanie go, Sabretooth.”  
“ _Oh, but that’s already happened. You don’t need me, because you broke our little deal by sending your tall friend and your father out to save her._ ” Sabretooth said, his voice darkening.  
The screen flickered to a CRTV feed of the garage-like room. Sportacus’s eyes widened as he watched Robbie and Dingo plow through the agents with ease.  
“ _Really Sportacus, did you trust me so little? I said I would release your friend once you finished our deal, yet you go ahead and try to free her prematurely. Tsk tsk, such distrust._ ”  
“Well, what do _you_ care? You got me to do everything you wanted me to do, and we’ve saved Stephanie. There’s nothing left. Why are you keeping me here?” asked Sportacus impatiently.  
“ _I suppose you’re right. But, you must admit, this was a little unsatisfactory. How boring would it be, you do what I asked and nothing else happens afterwards? Yawn. Besides Sportacus,_ ”  
Sportacus jumped as the doors slammed shut behind him, the locks clicking shut.  
“ _I never said I was done with you._ ”

Sportacus sprinted to the door and tried to force it open. He only succeeded in snapping the door handle off.  
Gritting his teeth, Sportacus slowly turned on his heel.  
“What else could you possibly want, Sabretooth?” He asked coolly.  
Sabretooth paused before answering in a matter of fact tone.  
“ _I want you to return to Primal, Sportacus._ ”  
“And what makes you think I would even consider your request?”  
“ _A few reasons._ ” Said Sabretooth, the screen flickering away from him and to a set of videos.  
From where Sportacus was, at first, he couldn’t tell what was playing on the monitor. However, as he drew closer, his face grayed.  
It was videos of _him_ , from earlier, committing all the crimes that Sabretooth had requested of him.  
“ _As great of a job you did, Sportacus, you really are sloppy when it comes to taking out surveillance. My little satellite van easily hacked into all of the surveillance cameras and recorded each and every one of your little moves. We have it all on footage, and it’s all so clearly_ you.” Sabretooth taunted.  
Sportacus’s lips drew into a thin line as he clenched his fist.  
“ _Now, this all could just be our little secret. We would happily destroy this footage if you just agree to come back and work for us again. If not, however, we would also happily mail copies out to every major news station, who I’m sure would_ gobble up _such a juicy set of evidence. And I’m sure a hero like yourself wouldn’t want to be associated with such terrible, incriminating footage, would you?_ ”  
Sportacus’s pupils shrunk as his gaze sunk to the floor. He gritted his teeth, refusing to look back up at Sabretooth.  
“ _Well, would you?_ ”  
Sportacus still refused to look up.  
Sabretooth laughed.  
“ _You really would prefer that footage be released over you simply joining back up with us? You must really hate us badly. Very well, you leave me with no choice. I’ll just have to pull out my trump card. You may not sacrifice your current life to preserve your reputation,_ ”

The screen flickered back to Robbie and Dingo. Sportacus looked up and, as soon as he looked at the screen, his face went white.  
“ _but I’m certain that if_ their _lives were on the line, you’d be more willing to reconsider_.”

\--

“Robbie, do you hear that?” asked Stephanie.

Robbie paused and turned, freezing as he felt the ground beneath them shake.  
Several feet away from them, the trio could see compartments open up in the floor. From these compartments rose orb-like machines, each half the size of a normal sedan with surfaces like foggy glass. The orbs floated ominously for several seconds.  
“Dingo, what…what are those?” Robbie asked, turning slowly towards him.  
His face went gray as he noticed the terrified look in Dingo’s eyes.  
“Oh god, no.” The man whispered, stepping back nervously.  
“Dingo?” Robbie asked, before a sound sent his attention snapping back towards the orbs.  
The orbs had begun humming, their forms emitting a hazy wave around them that distorted the air like a heat wave.  
They began to slowly approach the trio, their humming kept steady and constant. Robbie was left unsure how to react until he noticed how one orb passed by three unconscious but very much alive agents.  
As soon as the radius of their wave even grazed the agents’ bodies, they instantly disintegrated into a pile of gray dust.  
Stephanie cried out in horror and clung tighter to Robbie’s back.  
“D-Dingo, do something!” Robbie screamed, backing up towards the back wall.  
Dingo fumbled with his gun and fired at one of the orbs.  
To the group’s horror, the orb simply absorbed the bullets, its movement left unimpeded.

As the orbs drew closer, the trio was backed fully against the wall. Robbie pulled Stephanie back into his arms, blocking her view of the approaching orbs.  
He could feel her shake and tremble. He hugged her in a futile attempt to comfort her.  
Dingo kept firing at the orbs, watching miserably as each bullet was simply absorbed by each of the orbs.  
Robbie shielded Stephanie and forced his eyes shut, waiting for their painful deaths.

\--

“S-Stop! What are you doing?! Leave them alone!” Shouted Sportacus as he watched the monitor.

The image of the three being slowly surrounded by the orbs shrunk to the corner as Sabretooth’s feed filled the majority of the screen.  
“ _You left me no choice, Sportacus. I tried to give you another option, but you chose to be stubborn. Thus, I was forced to threaten your family and friends. It was really your fault._ ”  
“You’re sick! You’re sick and horrible and awful!” Sportacus shrieked, watching in horror as the orbs disintegrated another agent’s body.  
“ _Insults will get you nowhere at this point._ ” Sabretooth reminded Sportacus in a sing-song manner.  
Sportacus’s eyes began to water as he watched the terror in their eyes. He nearly broke down crying just seeing Stephanie trembling in fear, Robbie attempting to comfort her.  
“Why.” Sportacus said softly. “Why do you want me so badly? Why would you do all of this just to get me back?”  
Sabretooth smiled.  
“ _I told you, Sportacus. You’re rare. You’re valuable to Primal. If you were any other agent I wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble, but you are something else. You should be flattered. All of this shows you how much we, and I, value you as a member of Primal_.”  
Sportacus looked with disgust at Sabretooth, tears welling up and spilling over as his gaze switched back and forth between Sabretooth and the minimized feed of his loved ones being surrounded by the orbs.  
He shook and shivered, feeling every ounce of anger and hurt burrow deep in his chest.  
“ _Better hurry with your decision, Sportacus. Your friends won’t last much longer._ ” Sabretooth said.

Sportacus shuddered, tears rolling down his face. He uttered silent apologies to Robbie, Dingo, Stephanie, and everyone in LazyTown, He buried his palms into his eyes, trying to still the tears, before he gave the most hateful, resigned look to Sabretooth.  
“What choice do I have? You’ve cornered me. I can’t lose them.” He said, his voice choked up. “I hate you, Sabretooth. I hate you.”  
“ _We can work on that later. But I’m glad to hear that you made the right decision._ ” Said Sabretooth, a Cheshire grin on his face.  
Sportacus averted his gaze, his tears still falling.  
“ _We’ll send a helicopter to pick you up. And if it’s any consolation, we won’t make you announce your treasonous abandonment of your little town yourself. We’ll provide you a little cover-up. Consider it a welcome back present._ ”

A door slid open on the other side of the room, and two agents filed inside, gesturing for Sportacus.  
“ _Have a safe trip back home, Blue Jackal._ ” Said Sabretooth, before the screen flickered to black.  
Sportacus stared at the monitor, his gaze seething with hatred, anger, and hurt. In a moment of compulsive anger, he yelled as he knocked the monitor over, watching with empty satisfaction as the screen shattered into a pile of glass shards and plastic.  
“Your helicopter is waiting for you, sir.” Said an agent, tapping his shoulder.  
Nodding shallowly, Sportacus followed the agent slowly.

\--

A sharp sound urged Robbie to open his eyes, his fear remaining present as he finally dared to look.

The fear faded away as he finally turned to look at the orbs, his eyes widening as he watched the orbs dull from white to a darkened gray, as if they were burnt by a campfire.  
The humming cut out suddenly, and orbs dropped to the ground like stones. And just like glass, the orbs shattered into tiny pieces, revealing the mass of machinery and wires that laid inside.  
Dingo and Stephanie opened their eyes too once they heard the glass shattering.  
“They just… stopped?” asked Stephanie uneasily, looking down at the mess on the floor.  
Dingo bit his lip, looking suspiciously at the orbs.  
“What was that about, Dingo? What were those things?” asked Robbie.  
“An old security measure we installed in the base. They’re disintegrating solar orbs, and you already know what they do.” He answered, kicking away some of the glass.  
“But why did they just shatter?” asked Stephanie.  
Dingo sighed and shook his head.  
“I don’t think we should question that. Let’s just get out of here and find Sportacus.”

The three could barely take a few steps, however, before being jolted forward by a rocking explosion somewhere in the base.  
Robbie nearly toppled forward while Dingo stumbled, both men’s attentions turning towards the sound.  
“Now what?!” Robbie asked.  
Before Dingo could respond, another explosion at the corner of their room answered his question.  
Dingo’s pupils shrunk to pinpricks as the fire from the explosion spread rapidly across the aged wooden crates and other objects, flames licking up the walls and arcing across the ceiling.  
“Robbie, get the kid out of here. I’m going to find Sportacus.” Said Dingo, pushing Robbie towards the exit.  
“But what about you?” asked Robbie.  
“I’ll be fine! Get the kid out of here; Primal is taking this base down and you both need to be out of here!” Dingo said, not waiting for Robbie’s reply as he ran towards a side door, narrowly missing being hit by a flaming wooden support.  
Robbie watched Dingo uneasily before finally darting towards the exit, keeping Stephanie close to his chest as he did.

Explosion after explosion rocked the base as Dingo ran and dodged flaming debris and bursts of flame that bit at his shoes and arms. Coughing and hacking, Dingo paused only for a moment to catch his breath as he looked about.  
“Sportacus? Sportacus! SON!” Dingo shouted, running towards the monitor room.  
He bolted towards the door, ripping it off its hinges and exposing an opening to the room.  
From his spot, he could see the shape of a person, standing and staring at a spot in front of him.  
“Sportacus, we have to go!” Dingo shouted, preparing to run forward.  
Before he could, however, another explosion echoed through the base, sending Dingo falling back onto his hands. As he tried to drag himself onto his feet, he heard a deafening, cracking sound echo through the room. He could only watch in horror as flaming debris collapsed and covered the spot where he’d seen the shape of his son.  
“SON!” Dingo shouted, clambering onto his feet.  
Another pile of flaming rubble cascaded right in front of him, blocking his view and his passage to Sportacus.  
“Damnit, get, GET out of my way!” yelled Dingo as he attempted to dig his way through the flaming wreckage. He gained little for his trouble other than coating his hands with burns.  
Another explosion sent Dingo scrambling away from the room as the whole room collapsed in on itself.  
Dingo felt his heart drop to his stomach, his mind feverishly trying to believe that somehow, beyond all logic, his son might’ve survived the room’s collapse. His eyes began to water as he forced himself to run away from the room and out of the base.

Dingo coughed and sputtered as he finally emerged from the smoke-filled, flaming ruins of the Primal headquarters, stumbling over to meet with Robbie and Stephanie, who were standing several feet away.  
“Dingo! Where’s Sportacus?” Robbie asked, running over to meet with him.  
Robbie’s heart dropped as the man, so stoic and strong, looked up at him with the most broken look in his eyes.  
“I-I…” Dingo started.  
An explosion, the biggest and loudest of them so far, roared through the air, sending all three tumbling to the ground.  
As the trio collected themselves and sat upright, they watched in horror as the headquarters collapsed in on itself, rubble piling on top of rubble, flames spitting high into the air as the smoke condensed into a black smog.  
Stephanie stared with tears streaming down her face.  
“SPORTACUS!” She screamed, fighting against Robbie’s grip as she tried to run towards the ruins.  
Robbie, meanwhile, stared in disbelief and horror. Tears rolled down his cheeks as well as he stared at the flames.  
“N-No…”  
“Robbie…” Dingo started.  
“G-Give him a few minutes.” Robbie answered quickly. “H-H-He’s okay. He’ll be okay. He _never_ fails to escape, I, I _know_. He’ll be here any minute. Any minute. He’s okay.”  
Robbie continued this mantra, even as Dingo watched his expression grow increasingly more broken, the words growing more hollow and fruitless as the minutes passed by.

The three sat there, watching as the flames continued to burn and sizzle, waiting for Sportacus to emerge from the rubble alive and well.  
As the flames died down, however, the waiting ended, and the group were left grieving and dealing with reality.  
Sportacus was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go with part 2! Not sure if the two chapters should've been split up seeing their lengths now, but oh well. At least you all technically get two chapters in one day?
> 
> The next chapter is probably going to be a while, but it will come I promise! I'm just shifting focus back to Spirits of the Season for a time.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Welcome Home

Sportacus stood in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection as he listened to the hum of the transport ship.  
He looked at himself, dressed in his hero uniform.  
He glanced at his number.  
Hero 10.  
That was the moniker he held for so many years.  
That was what… _who_ he was.  
It was everything he wanted to be.  
He paused, hesitating, before he carefully removed the crystal from its casing and set it to the side.  
He looked back at himself and, reluctantly, he removed his cap and goggles, freeing his nest of messy blonde curls and his pointed ears.

He sighed, looking forlornly at himself, barely giving a glance to the uniform in his hands.  
His old uniform.  
The uniform he hoped and prayed he would never have to wear.  
He felt the material with his thumb. He prepared to remove his vest before he hesitated.  
He closed his eyes and fought the tears.  
This was really it.

A knock rapped out against the door.  
“Blue Jackal, sir? We’re approaching headquarters. Are you almost ready?” asked an agent.  
Sportacus looked up at the door.  
“Y-Yeah. Just give me another few minutes.” He answered.  
He heard nothing more from the agent, which he assumed meant that he understood.  
He looked back at the mirror, his shoulders sinking.  
He couldn’t delay the inevitable.  
He finally removed his vest and tossed it to the floor with his cap and goggles.

A few minutes later, the door to the room slid open, and Sportacus stepped out into the main hallway, his fellow gang members standing tall.  
The uniform, comparatively, was far simpler and built for stealth over flashiness. The main top was a sleeveless shirt with a similar collar to his hero uniform’s, made of dark navy material. He tugged at his new gauntlets, which more closely resembled hand and arm wraps as opposed to his previous arm brace and were made of a dark gray material. His pants were more form fitting and made of black material with matching, combat-styled boots. Topping off the ensemble were a pair of navy blue goggles that Sportacus wore around his neck and a shining Primal emblem on the left side of his chest.  
Sportacus took an uneasy step away from the room, the door sliding shut behind him. He stuffed the crystal into his pocket as an agent approached him.  
“Must be nice to get back into uniform, huh?” The agent said.  
Sportacus didn’t even offer a smile. His attention was directed at the space in front of him.  
The agent frowned and walked away.  
“We’ll be landing in five minutes, Blue Jackal. Make sure you get to the lower levels so you’re ready for arrival.” Said another member.  
Sportacus nodded and walked towards a doorway.  
“Thank you.” He said.

Walking out into the hallway, Sportacus nodded at the two guards who answered with a swift salute. He stalked down the hallway, lost in thought, his eyes occasionally going towards the windows.  
He paused as he reached a long window near the nearest door. He looked out the view.  
It was a bit of a surprise to him to see what looked like a stretch of ocean, or perhaps a lake, filled with bright blue water and bits of white caps. It was downright beautiful, almost painfully beautiful. Looking out towards the airship’s direction, he noticed a small island in the distance with a gigantic, retro-styled lodge/compound built within a grove of trees.  
It was almost comically cinematic, a far cry from the usually more reclusive nature of Primal in the past. Perhaps they’d finally reached a point where, while mercilessly hunted, they were just untouchable enough to flaunt their status?  
Sportacus was not sure.  
“Where are we?” He asked a passing agent.  
“Lake Cumulus, a nice little secluded lake in the north. It may seem exposed, but there’s little traffic. Perfect to hide out while still getting a pretty scene to look at.” Said the agent cheerily. “It’s something, isn’t it?”  
Sportacus looked back at the lake, his gaze growing sad as he tried to admire the pristine scene, so peaceful and serene.  
It made him think of one summer back in LazyTown, one where he treated the kids to a trip to a nearby lake. He thought of the games of volleyball, the picnics, and swimming, and the sandcastles built that day.  
Ziggy was crying because he’d dropped his lollipop in the sand. Stingy had tried to steal the volleyball by running with it into the lake, eventually needing him to save him. Stephanie, Trixie, and Pixel hunted around for fish and the illusive loch ness monster (despite Stephanie’s uncle repeatedly saying it was in Scotland).  
The day ended with him carrying the passed-out kids back to Mayor Meanswell’s car, all tuckered out from the day of fun.  
He smiled briefly at the flash of memory, the smile fading as reality settled back in.  
He could feel the agent’s presence remain, so he nodded slowly without looking back.  
“Yeah, it’s something.”  
The agent, satisfied, continued his way down the hallway.  
Sportacus, left alone, let a few tears escape and roll down his cheeks, the beauty of the scene almost taunting given the lowness he felt. He wanted nothing more to go home, but he knew, painfully, that home was no longer an option.  
He _was_ heading home, even though it wasn’t, truly, home.

He quickly dried his eyes as three agents entered the hallway.

“We’re about to land, Blue Jackal. You might want to go into the docking bay.” Said the agent, pointing to the door.  
Sportacus nodded, and let himself be led down the hallway and through the door.  
The docking room was dark, a far cry from the beautiful picture he’d been treated to. He stood quietly with the lines of agents, all bearing weapons, standing in a square formation with their attentions fixed upon the door.  
He uncomfortably stood there, the sounds of gears shifting and engines powering lower as the ship shook and rumbled. The landing gear engaged with a loud _clunk_ , the engines finally lowering to silence and the ship settling and shifting.  
Another loud _clunk_ rang through the loading bay as the door in front of them disengaged. It slowly lowered, letting the blinding sunlight flow through the darkened bay.  
Sportacus squinted, even as the agents began to march forward. Uneasily, he blindly followed them.  
He finally dared himself to blink as he felt the floor beneath him shift to a diagonal slant. He continued to squint as the scene grew clearer.  
He first understood that where they landed was seemingly a landing area for multiple, similar aircraft all at the ready.  
The second was that there were another cluster of agents seemingly waiting for them, also armed, and they struck a salute.  
Finally, a man stood separate from them, up front, his hands behind his back.

He seemed expectant. And…familiar?

The agents surrounding Sportacus separated like a wave, leaving Sportacus alone in his own column, flanked on both sides. The agents stopped once they reached the landing pad, fully off the aircraft, all standing at attention for the man that stood separate.  
He was dressed in a rather crisp uniform, black with white accents at his collar and sleeve edges, long-sleeved and paired with black, leather gloves. He wore a pair of charcoal slacks with dress shoes. His hair, jet black, was slicked back yet long, trailing down the back of his neck and ending at its base. Most notable, however, was his facial hair, which looked quite modern, almost hipster-esque with its near fiery design along his jawline.  
The man, who held a stern and serious expression previously, upon seeing Sportacus, almost melted. His expression shifted to one of surprise, almost tearful surprise. His hand rose to cover his mouth, and a chuckle escaped him.  
Sportacus, meanwhile, still stared in confusion.  
The man swiftly strode towards him, his arms out open.  
Sportacus tensed, only to be pulled into a tight, warm hug.  
“Oh Jackal, it’s really you! It’s you! I-I just can’t believe it.” The man rambled as he continued to hug Sportacus.  
He gave him a squeeze before stepping back, his hands still bracing Sportacus’s arms.  
“Oh goodness, you’ve grown! Yet, still the same. Still have those beautiful blonde locks though. But that mustache? We _need_ to have a talk about that once you’ve settled in.” He said with a bright smile.  
Sportacus continued to look at him confusedly, giving only a polite chuckle.  
“I, uh, guess so.”  
The man, picking up on Sportacus’s confusion, tilted his head.  
“Jackal, come on, are you saying you forgot about me? You know me! Come on.” Said the man, smirking. “Can’t forget about eyes like these, can you?”  
Sportacus squinted, digging through his memories as quickly as he could. The man was right, he was _very_ familiar, but his name…

Sportacus’s eyes widened with recognition.

“Fox?” He asked.  
Fox grinned.  
“There we go! You _do_ remember!” He said.  
Sportacus’s own expression shifted to a delighted surprise, a laugh escaping him.  
“Y-Yeah! I…I’m sorry, it’s been _years_. I…how have you been?” He asked.  
“Not nearly as good as I am now.” Fox said with a fond look. “We have _so_ much to catch up on. But you must be tired! Here, I’ll give you the grand tour, and show you your room!”  
Fox patted Sportacus’s back and led him towards a pair of double doors, which two agents quickly opened wide.  
The two entered, and the doors slammed shut behind them.

\--

The tour, despite being led by his jovial and rather energized friend, was mostly lost upon the overwhelmed and exhausted Sportacus. He remembered, vaguely, being shown various rooms and hallways of the surprisingly expansive mansion all manned by different agents and officials. Most of the faces were unfamiliar to Sportacus, not surprisingly, but he was surprised to see at least a few he did remember from those old days.

They walked through the cafeteria and, briefly, talked with an older agent who looked pleased to see Sportacus.

“Is that Jackal? Goodness boy, where’ve you been? Things have been quiet without you in the gym.” Laughed the agent.  
“We just got him back, Komodo. Expect the gym to be far livelier from now on!” Fox said with a laugh.  
She smiled at Sportacus.  
“In all seriousness, welcome back. We’ve missed you.” She said.  
“Thank you, Komodo.” He answered quietly.  
At one point, he might’ve been friendlier and warmer to reuniting with someone that, some time ago, he might’ve called his adoptive grandmother.  
Yet, it was all so hollow.  
In typical grandma fashion, Komodo handed him a small, sugar-free cookie from her lunch before Fox continued the tour.  
However, even with the reunions with the older agents, Sportacus couldn’t help but notice the skew in ages, veering closer to the early twenties with most of the agents. It was both odd and discomforting for Sportacus, though mostly at the time because of how few people he recognized, as well as how many were as young as they were.

Then again, would he really feel better having people he recognized surrounding him? He wasn’t fully convinced.

As he was brought around the tour, Sportacus occasionally noticed a few side doors, unmarked and nearly blending in the background, that would sometimes allow a younger agent through its passageway.  
“So, where do _those_ doors lead?” He asked at one point.  
It was only at that point did Fox’s energy change. His face seemed to gray slightly as he laughed uncomfortably and led Sportacus away.  
“Oh, nowhere important. I’ll just say it’s best you don’t ask about those doors. They don’t, and shouldn’t, concern you.” He answered quickly.

Eventually the tour led to a side hallway, off the main walkways and into a sort of dormitory environment, with a few agents walking with towels around their waists and carrying mugs of different warm drinks. Fox led Sportacus up the stairs towards a nicer hallway punctuated by softer carpeting and warmly colored walls.  
“Let’s see, I think your room is…ah, here we go.” Said Fox as he slid his card through the reader.  
He grinned and held up the keycard.  
“We upgraded a few years ago. No more keys around the neck! I think it’s pretty sweet.” He said as he opened the door.  
Sportacus gave a weak smile and nodded.  
Fox ushered Sportacus into his room, and Sportacus gaped.  
This was no dorm room, this was a _loft_. A luxurious, near-penthouse like loft.  
The wall was a mixture of warm-painted drywall and exposed brickwork in a modern fashion. Plenty of plants and ivy framed and punctuated the lovely decorated room. A 1970’s styled couch sat in front of a fireplace, which warmly burned. The floor was a soft carpeting in a cream color. His bed, done in a minimalist, Scandinavian style, sat near a glass wall that led out onto a veranda overlooking the lake.  
In shock, Sportacus walked around his room, his boots sinking into a shag carpet.  
“ _This_ is my room?” He asked in shock.  
“Call it a welcome back present. That and you’re not going on a mission right away.” Fox laughed. “I guess Sabretooth wanted you to feel welcome.”  
Sportacus’s smile vanished.  
“Yeah…I guess so.” He said quietly.  
Fox, who leaned against the door frame, smiled.  
“So, I thought you might want some time to settle in. If you’d like, you can join me and a few others for a game of tennis. One caveat: no flips! I remember how you play.” He said teasingly.  
Sportacus, looking back, forced a smile.  
“I-I might join you. Thanks, Fox.” He said.  
“Of course.” Fox answered. “Oh, and one more thing. Sabretooth is throwing a dinner in your honor tonight, around six o’clock. Make sure you’re there! Pretty awkward if you didn’t show up.”  
Sportacus’s eyes widened. His heart sunk, and his stomach churned.  
“Right…got it. Six o’clock.” He said.  
Fox smirked and walked off.  
“Don’t get too comfy!” He warned with a laugh.

The door shut behind Fox, and Sportacus was finally left alone.  
Thus, finally, he exhaled a ragged sigh. His hands dragged down his face as he slumped over into a nearby armchair.  
If he had the energy, he might’ve laughed. He’d never felt so fatigued in his life. For the first time ever, he wanted nothing more than to sleep.  
Robbie would’ve killed to seen him like this.  
The thought made him chuckle for a moment, until the thought of Robbie hung too long in his mind. It extinguished any remaining mirth in his heart.  
He felt empty, yet heavy at the same time.  
His head lolled back, his eyes lazily looking about the room. It was all so lovely, so indulgent, and quite a far-cry from his usual décor and level of aesthetic flair.

Yet, nothing.

He felt nothing from the sight.

He stared blankly at the window, hoping that maybe he’d nod off, wake up, and realize this was all a dream.

He sighed and drifted off, the lapping of the lake’s water in the distance fueling his drowsiness.

\--

Somehow, just barely, Sportacus managed to wake up in time for the “special dinner” in his honor. His sleep was restless and plagued by nightmares of the fire and friends in dire trouble variety, but he did technically sleep.

He was really hoping this wouldn’t become the new normal.

He straightened out his uniform and walked down to the common area which, much to his surprise, was far darker and quieter than he expected to find it. In fact, it seemed downright abandoned, yet he could see some figures in the darkness.  
He quirked an eyebrow.  
“Hello? Anyone here?” He called as he fished for a light switch.

As soon as he asked that, however, he was blinded as he was swallowed by the light of a spotlight.

He flinched and squinted, his hand shooting up to shield his eyes as he blinked and looked a few inches off from the spotlight.  
“Here he is, the man of the hour! Come on everyone, give our Blue Jackal a warm welcome home!”  
The room’s lights clicked on and Sportacus soon realized just how many new faces he’d have to meet and greet. All these new faces clapped and cheered for him, everyone dressed in similar uniforms to his and all rather cheerful to see him.  
It was slightly unnerving, but Sportacus tried not to see it that way. He politely, though awkwardly, smiled and waved at the groups.  
Up on a small stage, Fox clapped and urged the clapping to continue. He took the microphone from the announcer and cleared his throat.  
“You know Jackal, it’s been _way_ too long since you’ve been with us. I mean look at poor Komodo! She’s gotten at least a few times wrinklier since you left, all your fault you know!” He quipped.  
The agents chuckled as Komodo laughed, then proceeded to flip off Fox.  
Fox smirked at her before looking back at Sportacus.  
“But we get it, everyone needs to leave the nest once in their lives, and now you’re back. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we’re absolutely ecstatic to have you here and we can’t wait to see you pull off all your old stunts and tricks you were so famous for!”  
The older agents clapped and cheered in agreement, a few whooping and hollering.

“Yes, yes, we are all happy to have you back, Blue Jackal.”

The room instantly fell silent. The agents all turned to look up towards the second floor, towards a balcony of sorts where only a single set of modern, floating steps led to. Standing on the balcony, his gloved hands clasped together, stood Sabretooth.

Sportacus’s stomach instantly churned.  
Sabretooth made his way down casually, passing through the masses of agents who parted at the presence of their boss. He strode and approached Sportacus, his hands behind his back, a pleased look in his eyes.  
Sportacus could barely hold back his anger and, in turn, gave him a strained half-smile.  
“Very happy indeed, it’s good that you’ve come back. I’m certain everyone agrees with me when I say that things haven’t been the same without you.”  
The agents around them nodded politely.  
“ _But_ , I can assure everyone here that things will be getting ship-shape very soon here. I’ve seen first hand that our Jackal has not lost his touch! I’m certain our glory days, better than ever, are just around the corner. And you know what that means?”  
“Big fat piles of loot!” hooted the agents with laughter, before quickly going quiet.  
Sabretooth gave a grimaced smile.  
“ _Yes_ , loot indeed.” He mumbled before looking back at Sportacus.  
He stuck out his hand.  
“I’m afraid I can’t stay, but I did want to welcome you back. So, welcome back, and hopefully this time you’re back for good.” He said with a venomous smile.  
Sportacus stared at his hand, his lip crooked and his brows furrowed. He really didn’t want to take his hand, much less shake it.  
It made him somehow feel sicker than he already did.

Yet, nevertheless, he took his hand and gave it a firm shake.

“Thank you.” Was all he said.  
Sabretooth smiled poisonously as he gave his hand one last squeeze and let go. He looked back at him for only a moment before he walked back to his office.  
Sportacus shuddered uneasily as the party began, the agents grabbing food off a long table buffet style and others dancing to the music piped in through the speakers.  
He looked at his hand before wiping it off on his shirt, his gaze looking about. A few agents approached him, welcoming him back and shaking his hand or hugging him.  
“It really is great to have you back, Jackal!” chirped an older agent.  
“Thank you Puma.” Sportacus said.  
“Always great to have familiar faces around.”  
“I agree, Leopard.”  
“Welcome home!”  
“Thanks Komodo.”  
Sportacus clung to the wall, not even going for the food, choosing instead to simply people watch. The agents’ attentions had luckily gone to the food, each other, or the music, so he could rather easily hang out with little to no interaction.  
He sighed and crossed his arms, his gaze on the party. He was focused enough that he nearly missed someone approaching behind him.  
“Boo.” Fox said as he tapped his shoulder.  
Sportacus looked behind him and gave a small smile.  
“Oh, hi.”  
“Are you having fun? Personally, I think the wall is the worst place to enjoy a party, but to each their own.” Fox asked.  
“Oh, I’m having fun. Just…tired.” Sportacus said with a shrug.  
“Still? I mean, I guess that makes sense. You even missed out on the tennis game. You _must_ be tired.” Fox said as he handed him a glass. “Punch?”  
“No thanks. I think I’ll go to bed. Thanks for the party.” Sportacus said with a weak smile.

He brushed past Fox and hurriedly walked through the doorway. Fox watched with pursed lips, his brow furrowing as he handed the second glass to a random agent that passed by.

\--

Sportacus had barely settled down on the edge of his bed when he heard a knock against his door.

“Hello?” He asked softly.  
“Just me. May I come in?” asked Fox.  
Sportacus bit his lip, his answer halted before he finally nodded.  
“Yeah, come on in.” He said.  
The door swung open and there stood Fox, holding two glasses of a dark purple liquid.  
Sportacus looked up at him and quirked an eyebrow.  
“Oh dear, please don’t tell me you’re still holding those glasses!” He said worriedly.  
“What? Oh no, this isn’t the punch. It’s, uh, a surprise.” Fox said as he strode across the room.  
Fox sat himself next to Sportacus and handed him a glass. Sportacus took the glass warily and gave it a sniff.  
“Wine? Fox, I’m sorry, I can’t drink this. Thank you though.” He said.  
“Oh Jackal, I know you better than that don’t I? It’s my surprise, it’s sugar-free wine.” Fox said with a proud smile.  
Sportacus looked at the glass curiously.  
“What? Wait… _how_?” He asked.  
“Science, my dear. That’s how.” Fox said with a smirk.  
Sportacus, however, was still wary.  
“Go ahead, drink some. And I promise, if you pass out, I’ll run laps around the island for a month.”  
With that promise, Sportacus eventually nodded and took a small, barely sip.

Welp, it was certainly wine. Tasted the same as it smelled. Sportacus had yet to decide whether that was a good or a bad thing, but he at least appreciated the gesture.

He took another sip, nodding in appreciation to Fox. Fox sipped low on his own glass.  
Fox, setting his glass down, sighed and drummed his fingers against his thigh.  
“I, uh, take it the adjustment isn’t starting out so well.” He said.  
Sportacus stopped mid-sip. He swallowed quickly before he set his glass on the bed.  
“Oh, uh, no it’s going fine. A lot to take in…that’s all.” He answered.  
“Jackal, we’ve known each other how long? Since we were teenagers?”  
“I think just about.”  
“Then I’ve known you long enough to know you’re a _terrible_ liar.”  
Sportacus winced.  
“I’m not mad or upset. I’m just…you know, worried. If there’s something on your mind, you can tell me. You know that.” Fox said.  
“I know. I know.” Sighed Sportacus.  
“Then what’s up?”  
Sportacus chewed on his bottom lip, trying to fight the tears that wanted to spill out. He picked up his glass of wine and sipped deeply.  
“That’s not a great replacement for expressing your feelings. Trust me, that’s not a road you want to go down.” Fox said in darkly warning fashion.  
Sportacus set down the half-drained glass and sniffed, the fuzziness building in his head.  
“It’s alright,” Fox said, his hand resting atop Sportacus’s. “it’s okay.”

Sportacus’s eyes glistened as he turned and looked at his friend. He hesitated, a shuddered sigh and a sniffle starting first. His face strained until finally he cracked, his voice thin and choked.

“Fox, I miss them. I miss them so much. I miss them, and I can never see them again.” He wept as the tears finally broke through.  
He fell into Fox’s arms, his friend pulling him close.  
“You’re talking about your old town, right? What is it…Slackerville?” asked Fox.  
“L-Lazytown. I miss it. I miss the kids. I miss Stephanie, Pixel, Ziggy, Stingy, Trixie. I miss Mayor Meanswell and Miss Busybody.” Sportacus rambled.  
He choked a sob.  
“I miss Robbie.” He said.  
“You two were close?” asked Fox.  
Sportacus hiccupped and sniffled.  
“I…we…it was complicated.” He finally ended.  
“Ah.” Fox said as he hugged him.  
Sportacus coughed and sniffed.  
“I-I’m sorry, I really did like your party. I guess I…I’m not…”  
“I know. You’re not ready. I’m sorry, I should’ve known you’d be emotionally exhausted. That must’ve asked a lot of you.” Fox said sadly.  
Sportacus shook his head and leaned in.  
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.” Fox cooed as he stroked the back of his head.  
“I miss them. I miss them.” Sportacus repeated and wept.  
“I know.” Fox said softly as he pulled back.  
He tilted Sportacus’s chin, so he looked at him.  
“I…know this will be tough. A lot has happened all at once. Your life’s been uprooted. But I at least want you to know that I’m here for you. Okay? I’m here to help this be as easy as possible, even though I know it’ll be tough.” Fox said quietly as he wiped away Sportacus’s tears.

Sportacus looked at his friend with a thankful, yet tired smile. He sniffled and nodded.  
The two were rather close.  
Fox looked down a moment and bit his lip. He chuckled and sighed.  
“Do you remember when we were teens?” He asked.  
Sportacus smiled a slightly sad smile.  
“I do.” He said.  
“I miss those times…” Fox said longingly. “…do you?”  
Sportacus looked down for a moment, before nodding.  
“I do.”  
“They don’t have to be gone times.” Fox suggested hopefully.  
Sportacus looked up, feeling the buzzing energy in the air.

Perhaps it was the wine, perhaps it was everything else that left him tired that day.  
But nonetheless, it happened.  
They close the gap, and lips locked hard and fast.

Sportacus’s wine glass tumbled to the side as he clasped his hands against Fox’s cheeks, with Fox’s arms wrapping around his torso.  
Tears mixed in as Sportacus tangled his fingers in Fox’s hair. Fox’s hands rubbed circles against his back as he pulled him even closer.  
They were pulled close, _intensely_ close, which made the moment that the kiss ended all the more jarring.  
Yet, it was inevitable. The two slowly parted, their breathing nothing but panting as they settled themselves away from each other.  
Sportacus was the first to slowly reopen his eyes.

He froze.

He didn’t see Fox.   
Fox didn’t have that pompadour, or those cheekbones, or that striped vest.  
He blinked and shook his head.  
When he reopened his eyes, Fox was back, looking quite content and giddy.  
“You don’t know how long I waited for that. I’ve been wanting this for so long.” Fox gasped with a laugh, his hands gently stroking his.  
Sportacus blinked, still startled by the strange swap of men that he’d hallucinated. He looked at Fox and forced a weak smirk.  
“Same here.” He said.  
Fox smiled, and he came close for another kiss.

Sportacus reciprocated as he ignored the feeling tugging at his heart. He ignored it, of course, because it was something he’d never have.  
And he couldn’t sink into that again. Not when this was his reality now.  
He’d be happy with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sportacus man you should know better than to deal with emotions through kissing an ex. I mean seriously, when does that end well?
> 
> But anyways, it's been a while hasn't it? I'll admit this fic went on hiatus because I kind of lost the drive to write it and decided to focus on other stories. I can't promise this fic is "back", but I still felt like I wanted to write for it so here we are. Since it's been a few months, I can't completely remember where I originally wanted this story to go, so there might be some inconsistencies. I'll try to smooth them over though.
> 
> Either way, I hope you all enjoy this. Thank you for reading.


	8. Rescue Party

_A month later._

Mayor Meanswell placed the last slice of toast on the plate and gave it a quick spray of powder sugar. Stepping back, he admired his meal.

He may not be much of a cook, but he did know a good-looking breakfast when he saw one.

And this breakfast, consisting of peach slices, toast with powder sugar, a glass of orange juice, and a few slices of bacon was darn good-looking, making his mouth water.

Now the only challenge remained was the one that made Mayor Meanswell the most uneasy: ensuring that his niece would actually _eat_ it.  
A frown crossed his face as he sighed and picked up the tray. Turning carefully, he began his trek towards her room.  
He really couldn’t blame her for the lack of appetite.  
He’d been informed about what happened as soon as Robbie returned with her and Dingo in tow. Part of him had already fretted about the possibility once he first noticed Sportacus absent from the rescue party and his niece in tears.  
Though, even with fretting, nothing really prepares you for the blunt blow of learning your town’s one guardian, the one person keeping things in order and bringing so much joy to the kids, was gone.

Just like that. Poof.

It made Mayor Meanswell’s heart sink just thinking about it.  
But that wasn’t even accounting for the issue of just _how_ to break the news. Currently they’d chosen the denial package aka dodging the issue as the kids asked about Sportacus’s whereabouts.  
Each time, Mayor Meanswell or Ms. Busybody would simply answer that Sportacus was busy chasing off the bad people that’d kidnapped Stephanie to begin with, and the kids would be (seemingly) satisfied.  
No, Mayor Meanswell and Ms. Busybody did not like lying to the children, but they really had no idea of what to do instead.

The kids were far too young. Simply telling them that Sportacus didn’t make it back from his rescue mission would be _devastating_.

He could tell it would be if Stephanie’s behavior told him anything.  
Reaching her door, Mayor Meanswell gently rapped his knuckles against it.  
“Stephanie? Oh Stephanie, good morning!” He tried to say as chipperly as possible.  
No response.  
“Uh, Stephanie, I made you breakfast! It’s one of your favorites: French toast with orange juice!” He added.  
Nothing.  
He bit his lip, his shoulders slacking.  
He looked doubtfully at the breakfast.  
“I’m coming in, Stephanie.” He said quietly as he creaked the door open.  
He surveyed the room as he peeked. Clothes and toys laid strewn across the floor. The shades were drawn, and the bed had clearly not been made for a long time if the lopsided blankets told him anything. Either that or the poor girl hadn’t slept well yet again last night.  
Stephanie laid on her bed, on her side, her back to the door. She was near curled up in a fetal position.  
She didn’t move even as light streamed into her darkened room.  
“Are you hungry? I imagine you must be, you didn’t eat much dinner last night.” Offered her uncle.  
Stephanie didn’t answer once again.  
Mayor Meanswell’s expression fell.  
“Please Stephanie…you _must_ eat. I know you’re not feeling well, but not eating won’t help either.” He begged.  
Stephanie remained quiet.

Mayor Meanswell sighed quietly.  
“Well, I’ll leave the tray here. If you change your mind, it’s right here.” He said as he took away an untouched, cold plate from the night before, replacing it with the tray.  
Taking the dirty dishes with him, he turned and began to leave the room before he stopped.  
He looked over his shoulder.  
“I’ll be here today, if you need me. Please Stephanie, don’t be afraid to ask.” He asked.  
Stephanie didn’t move.  
Mayor Meanswell’s heart broke as he, sad and resigned, closed the door gently behind him, his body feeling heavier than ever.

“I wish I knew what to do. Oh Milford, you really still don’t know children. Perhaps Ms. Busybody might have some good ideas.” He said to himself softly as he shook his head and paced to the kitchen.

\--

She really felt bad ignoring her uncle like this.

But at the same time, she just couldn’t.

She couldn’t deal with much of anything lately.

Getting up is even a challenge most days.

She misses Sportacus, and it’s all her fault.

That’s how she feels.

Each time she closes her eyes, she sees the fire.  
A few times, her worst nights, she sees him _crawling_ from the fire.  
Begging for help, _her_ help.  
But something always stops her.  
Maybe the floor is melting.  
Maybe something was dragging her backwards.  
Maybe, simply, she was petrified by the sight.

But either way, she has _never_ saved him.

_Never_.

And when she awakens, she feels as heavy as she did that day, the day she couldn’t save him either.

The real day.

…

He gave up everything, his own life, to make sure she was okay.  
…He shouldn’t have.  
She thought.  
“I mean, I could’ve been more careful.”  
She took defensive classes. She remembered the day Sportacus decided to teach her and her friends judo, to spice things up and give them a useful skill.  
She _should’ve_ been ready.  
Yet…she froze.  
When those men grabbed her, she froze.  
… _Why_ did she freeze? She shouldn’t have.  
…it was her own fault she was taken, Sportacus shouldn’t have to _die_ for her mistakes.  
Her fault.

…

She should have –

She froze at the thought, her head shaking, a shiver running down her spine.  
She trembled as she curled in tighter.  
“ _Coward._ ” A thought spoke.  
Her fingers gripped at her pillowcase, stained with tears.  
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep again, hoping against hope that the nightmare wouldn’t come back.

\--

Dingo clicked on the TV as he popped open a beer, the droning of a mindless sitcom filling his empty and echoing apartment.

He fell back into the ratty armchair he’d salvaged and sighed. He took a long drink from the can as he mindlessly watched the program, caring little about what was happening.  
“ _Howard! Where have you been? I told you I needed fish for tonight’s dinner!_ ” shrieked the TV mom.  
“ _That’s what I been doing! What’s better than fish caught fresh from the lake?_ ” responded the TV dad.  
“ _I’ll tell you what! Having fish at all!_ ” responded the TV mom.  
Canned laughter ensued.  
Dingo burped lowly and took another drink of beer.  
He heard a squeaky mew off to the side of him.  
Glancing over, he saw the little black and white kitten digging and reaching at the armchair’s fabric, its eyes focused up intently at the chair’s arm.  
“Come here, Dog.” Grumbled Dingo as he scooped the kitten up carefully.  
He gently set the kitten down on his lap, the kitten looking about curiously before settling down. It curled up and joined its owner in watching the TV.  
“Beer?” asked Dingo, him tilting the beer can’s lip to the cat.  
The kitten named Dog sniffed the beer, its little nostrils flaring, until it scrunched its muzzle back. Licking its nose, it distracted itself with the TV once more.  
“Thought not.” Dingo shrugged as he took another drink.

It was really all a fortunate situation, despite the mundanity.

Dingo hadn’t been sure what would happen next once Robbie and he had arrived in LazyTown. Given his criminal record and his current status as an escapee from a maximum-security prison, he figured he’d be holing up in some flophouse, waiting for the heat to die down miles away from this quiet, idyllic little burg.  
Yet, not quite so. The mayor’s niece, the pink girl he soon learned, had somehow convinced him to allow him to rent a place at the local apartment complex just a few miles out of the main town.  
The mayor seemed to have his reservations, but Dingo assumed that the distance away from the town’s center plus his whole “saving his niece” thing seemed to sway him towards leasing the small apartment to him.  
For what it was worth, Dingo wasn’t complaining.  
As for the cat however, this wasn’t quite as expected and, initially, not as welcome.  
The local kids informed him the kitten had been prowling around for a while as a street cat, but nothing prepared anyone for how quickly the kitten attached itself to Dingo.  
It was just his luck; he _hated_ cats for years, ever since the barn cat bit him as a kid.  
Yet, he couldn’t ignore this tiny, pitiful thing. And after a week or so he begrudgingly took the kitten home, if only so he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about it possibly starving and freezing outside.

Just to settle this strange dissonance with his cat-hating side, he named it Dog, if only to spite it, as well as poorly trick himself into thinking he’d adopted a dog.

Though if that trick to settle his dog-preferring side didn’t work, it was certainly not settled by the number of cat toys, treats, fancy food, and other essentials he acquired over the last few weeks.  
That he couldn’t quite explain, and the one explanation was one he wouldn’t hear no matter how much you tried.  
He still didn’t like cats.  
He just guessed Dog was an exception.

On cue, Dog purred lowly. Dingo’s fingers mindlessly and idly reached over and scratched the back of its neck.  
“Hmph, you’ll need to learn to take care of yourself sooner or later. Can’t expect me to pluck you off the ground every time you want to sit up here.” Dingo noted.  
Dog simply continued to purr and look up with half-lidded eyes at its owner.  
“Ah, so you’re into manipulation. I guess I can respect that.” Dingo mumbled as he drank more of his beer, his fingers still scratching Dog’s neck.

It was all very odd, having such a…quiet life.  
It nearly felt alien, or wrong. Dingo spent so much time on the run, sitting for so long didn’t sit right.  
But it was welcome. It helped dull the complicated, twisted feelings churning in his stomach.  
Nothing better than a kitten and a decent beer to dull the pain of losing your adoptive son.  
He drank deeper.

“ _Boysenberries? I thought you said, ‘poison berries’!_ ”  
More canned laughter.  
“Bah, this program sucks. What do you say Dog, change the channel?” Dingo grunted.  
Dog looked up and blinked lazily.  
“Change the channel it is.” He said as he clicked the remote.  
The channel fuzzed and switched to what appeared to be the news channel. A woman in a nicely pressed blouse and blazer was sitting at a desk, the ticker with shorter news bursts running by too fast to read.  
Dingo hmph’ed and settled back in.  
“ _And that is the latest in weather. Breaking news: The Central City Depository has been robbed of nearly $10 million in gold bars late last night._ ”  
Dingo took another slug of beer.  
“ _Police have reported no suspects thus far; however, they believe that local criminal chapter Primal is responsible due to the nature of the crime. Denise Clearly is on the scene with local officer Dane Joelsson._ ”  
The screen changed to a view of the depository, surrounded with yellow police tape. Denise, a woman in her thirties dressed in a plum raincoat, stood next to the portly police officer with a microphone in hand.  
“ _Thank you Allison. Officer Dane Joelsson has just announced that CCTV footage has been secured by the local police and reviewed, with video footage of the criminals involved. Officer Dane, do you have any idea of the identities of the perpetrators?_ ”  
“ _Well Denise, I will say that as always the Central City Police are hot on the trails of any criminal who’d dare commit a crime in our city. However, the footage is very dark and grainy, so no leads can be produced at this time. However, we also feel that this crime can be directly linked to Primal given the rather…flamboyant nature of the theft. Simply put, it’s too put together to be just a regular group of thieves._ ”  
The screen swapped once again, this time to a black-and-white feed of the depository’s exterior. Dingo watched closely as two figures darted across the roof.  
“ _As you can see from this footage, at least two individuals were involved in this heist, along with the usage of a truck. Unfortunately, the license plate was left unclear, but we can see here that the two perpetrators had some extensive knowledge and were clearly skilled in theft._ ”  
Dingo’s eyes lowered as he watched the first figure slide down the drain pipe, bags slung over their shoulders.  
That maneuver…he’d seen it before.  
“ _Anyone with any knowledge of the crime is asked to please contact the following hotline to report any pertinent information._ ”  
And as Denise said that, the second thief could be seen leaping from the building, several bags in tow.

Dingo’s eyes dropped wide. That figure completed a triple back-flip off the roof of the building, landing perfectly on the ground several floors below.

There was only one person who could accomplish a feat like that.

“Holy f – “Dingo muttered in a hushed voice, him standing and letting his beer can topple to the floor.

He rewound the footage, just to ensure that he hadn’t been seeing things.

The second thief once again pulled off the gymnastic feat in their getaway.

He rewound again.

The same triple back-flip.

“Son of a…he’s _alive_.” Dingo said near silently, his hands frozen at his side.  
Dog, perturbed, meowed at his owner.  
Dingo looked back at his pet. Swallowing dryly, he nodded.  
“Right, you’re right. I’ve got to let them know.” He said.  
Pulling a duffel hidden in his kitchen cabinets, he slung it over his shoulder and charged out into the streets, him making a beeline towards LazyTown’s center.

\--

Mayor Meanswell was startled from his napping by furious pounding at the front door.

“Oh! Oh my! Coming!” He stated as he rushed to the door.  
Opening it, Mayor Meanswell was met by the sight of a very frantic, very driven Dingo.  
“Oh! M-Mr. Dingo! How can I help you – “  
“No time! Need to see your niece!” Dingo said as he unceremoniously shoved the mayor away.  
Mayor Meanswell squawked as he fell backwards, tumbling head first into his paper bin. Sitting up, the paper bin remained stuck over the top half of his face.  
“Oh bother.” He sighed.

Dingo rushed around the corner of the hallway and reached the pink door. Knocking furiously, he didn’t wait for an answer as he opened the door.  
“Kid! Sorry to barge in, but I need to tell you – “He started, before stopping.  
He looked about the room, dark and messy. His eyes trailed up to the girl curled up on her bed.  
The franticness died out, and concern settled in. He entered and partially closed the door behind him. He tiptoed around piles of dirty laundry and discarded books and toys as he approached her bed.  
The girl hadn’t moved since he entered.  
“Uh, everything going okay?” He asked awkwardly as he sat at the edge of her bed.  
Stephanie didn’t move, but he could see that she was tense.  
Dingo sighed, blowing out a sharp breath. His fingers drummed against his thigh as he surveyed her room.  
“So, your uncle doesn’t tell you to clean your room? Pretty good deal if you ask me.” He said.  
Stephanie didn’t move.  
Dingo sighed again and ran a hand through his hair.  
“Okay, look, I’ll cut to the chase. I’m no good at this consoling thing, but maybe I don’t need to if I tell you this: Sportacus? He’s alive.” He said.  
He saw Stephanie tense further. She lifted her head quickly, and he felt himself pale at the gravely dark circles under her eyes.  
“W-What?” She asked.  
“Um, kid? How much sleep have you been getting?” He asked.  
“What? Oh, uh, you know. Not…not great. I’ll be fine.” Stephanie brushed off as she sat upright. “Y-You said Sportacus was alive??”

Dingo stopped and looked at her with thinned lips.  
“Kid, you’re not going to be fine, are you? Come on.” He said.  
Stephanie’s eyes darted down guiltily. She clenched fistfuls of her pajama legs.  
“I’ve…been having nightmares.” She admitted. “All month. Just nightmares…I see him. Just, please, are you being serious? He’s alive?”  
Dingo nodded.  
“Yup, saw him on TV. He’s alive, and with Primal. TV caught him and another agent robbing a depository.”  
“What? But why?” Stephanie asked confusedly.  
She stopped, her eyes widening.  
“Oh…oh no! T-They’ve wiped his memory, haven’t they?? I-I know Robbie did that to him once, but just to sell ice cream! But I guess…I guess they could’ve wiped his memory so he’d commit crimes and – “  
“Augh, kid.” Dingo groaned as he shook his head. “I don’t know how to break this to you but…I think his memory is fine. Fact probably it’s his memory that’s _making_ him do all this.”  
“I don’t understand.”  
“I wouldn’t expect you to. Kid…aw hell, I don’t like doing this but…look, Sportacus? He sort of wasn’t always the hero he is now. Not back when anyways.” Dingo explained awkwardly.  
Stephanie stared at him confusedly.  
“Him, I, and his mom, we were all part of Primal back when he was your age. He did that gig, played the villain, for probably a good twenty years before he left for whatever reason he did. This kind of thing isn’t new for him, just rusty. Now as for _why_ he’s doing it again, I’m guessing blackmail. But either way, I doubt there was mind control. Hate to break that to you.”  
Stephanie’s face had gone white. She looked like something was breaking within her as she drew her legs to her chest, her head shaking.  
“I don’t believe you.” She answered quietly.  
Dingo looked at her, then sighed sadly.  
“Ah, kid.” He started.  
“T-That…that isn’t Sportacus he’s _good_ , he’s our _friend_ he wouldn’t…no, no he wouldn’t _do that_ – “  
“Okay kid, hang on. I’ll stop you there, he’s _still_ your friend and he’s still a good guy. I just said I think there’s blackmail, right? So clearly this isn’t him skipping off to go play crook again because he wants to. He loathes Primal as much as anyone else. But either way it was back when, right? He’s not that anymore.”  
“I…I know.” Stephanie sighed tiredly. “I just…what could they threaten him with that’d make him _agree_ to any of that? He’d never steal on his own.”  
Dingo looked up grimly.  
“I can make a few guesses.” He noted darkly.

Stephanie sniffled and wiped some tears from her eyes.  
“E-Either way, if you found him, I better get dressed. He won’t wait around forever, and we need to help him.” She said as she swung her legs off the bed.  
“Woah, woah now what makes you think you’re coming along? I just came by to let you know. No invitation extended.” Dingo said as he grabbed her arm.  
“And what makes you think I’ll just sit by either? Let go of me.” Stephanie said.  
“Kid, I don’t know if you’ve forgotten already, but these guys are _real_ bad guys. Bad guys with _guns_. Your heart is in the right place, but if you think I’d let you waltz in with us right into headquarters, you’re wrong.”  
“I can handle it fine!”  
“You’re _eight_!”  
“And I have to do this!” Stephanie yelled as she slapped away Dingo’s hand.  
Dingo looked at her with surprise.  
“Look, I haven’t slept all month. I keep seeing Sportacus’s face, and I watch him burn, and I can’t _deal_ with this! He nearly sacrificed his life for me and he’s my friend, and if you think I’ll sit by while he’s in trouble, you’re super stupid!”  
She panted angrily.  
“So let me go with you. _Please_.” She sputtered.  
Dingo stared at her, watching as she panted wearily.  
He tapped his chin thoughtfully as he closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and sighed irritatedly.  
“If you promise to follow us, promise not to run in front or away from us at any point, and you promise _not_ to pull any stupid stunts that could get you hurt or killed…”  
“I promise!”  
“Then…don’t make me regret agreeing to this.” Dingo grumbled as he stood up.

Stephanie sighed, and gave a small smile. Jumping over, she hugged Dingo.  
“Thank you.” She said, her voice muffled.  
“Don’t dawdle. Get dressed quick or I might change my mind.” Dingo grumbled as he barely hugged her back.  
Dingo walked out of the room, giving Stephanie privacy. He waited, arms crossed, until Stephanie skipped out, wearing a pink variation of the uniform Sportacus usually wore.  
“What…is that?” asked Dingo, his eyebrow quirked.  
“It’s my hero uniform! If we’re saving Sportacus, this seems like the best outfit to wear.” She said as she struck a pose, fists on her hips.  
Dingo’s mouth dropped a little as he fished for a protest, or anything, to say. But eventually, he found himself coming up empty.  
His mouth shut and he sighed.  
“Alright, fine. Let’s get going. Now show me where Robbie lives.” He said.  
“Of course! This way.” Stephanie said cheerily as she skipped on past.

The two of them darted out the door, vanishing around the corner just as Mayor Meanswell finally managed to remove the basket from his head.  
“W-What? Dingo? Stephanie? Where’d you go?” He asked confusedly.  
No response.

\--

Dingo was just beginning to wonder where the heck this pink-haired girl was taking him as they tromped through the fields and reached a large billboard with cows and mansion painted on its surface.

Dingo stopped, stared at it, then looked at Stephanie.  
“Uh, kid? Hate to break it to you, but that’s just a billboard.” He said.  
“I know, I know! It’s, uh, weird, but trust me he’s _behind_ the billboard.” Stephanie noted wearily.  
“Huh. Alright. Billboard seems to draw _more_ attention to him than hide him, but whatever.” Dingo said as he followed the skipping Stephanie around the side.  
“Now Robbie is usually pretty grumpy, but it’s pretty easy to get his attention. We just have to make lots of noise, or, you know, talk at a reasonable level. Like I said, easy!” Stephanie chattered on distractedly.  
While she yammered, Dingo looked skeptically at the view behind the billboard.  
There was a hatch, yes, but said hatch didn’t look like it’d been opened in a while. A bird had started a nest near its hinge. Letters littered the ground around the ladder, all untouched and the majority crumpled and damp from exposure to the elements.  
He kicked aside a few letters.  
“Oh wow, hi Mr. Robin! I’ll just move that now.” Stephanie chirped as she gently set the nest aside.  
“Kid, I don’t think he lives here. Looks like no one’s been around for some time.” Dingo said.  
“Impossible! Robbie always lives here, he just…sometimes doesn’t come out. For a while.”  
“How long’s a while?”  
Stephanie looked down thoughtfully, the near fanatic giddy fading fast.  
“Like…three weeks? That’s normal adult stuff…right?” She said.  
Dingo sighed and shook his head.  
“Okay, I think I’ll go first. You wait behind me, this could be ugly.” He said.

He rapped against the hatch firmly.

“Robbie? It’s Dingo. I’ve got the mayor’s niece with me. We need to talk, it’s urgent.” He stated.  
A few minutes passed.  
Nothing.  
“Ah great, silent treatment again.” Dingo groaned.  
“Maybe we should knock again?” suggested Stephanie.  
“Nuts to that. I’m busting in.” said Dingo as he gripped the lid and yanked it clean off.  
Tossing the lid aside, he dusted off his hands as he looked back at the gaping Stephanie.  
“What? I was the muscle back in Primal. Sometimes finesse isn’t enough for a break in. Can’t be discrete always.” Dingo shrugged.  
“R-Right. Uh…still a little amazing though.” Stephanie said quietly.  
“Eat your veggies kid, or whatever Sportacus says. You can do this too.” Dingo said casually as he swung himself down the pipe.  
The two descended down into the dark and echoing pipe, the sunlight growing small above them. Stephanie blinked as her eyes adjusted. She sniffed and recoiled at the stench.  
“Oh yuck, what _is_ that?” She asked softly.  
Dingo sniffed the air.  
“My guess? Rotting food.” He said grimly as he continued to climb down.  
“Robbie is sometimes too lazy to clean his dishes. It’s never smelled _this_ bad though.” She said thoughtfully.  
“Something tells me this isn’t just him being lazy.” Dingo said as they finally lowered themselves into the lair’s main room.

As the two disembarked from the ladder, they froze once they turned to look at the lair.

It was cluttered… _beyond_ cluttered.  
If it brought an image to Stephanie’s mind, it reminded her of those odd houses she’d see on roadtrips with her parents, the ones whose lawns were covered in broken toys and various knick-knacks that usually included one car in a bad state of repair.  
The lair was completely covered in monstrosities of metal machination, some towering high and near reaching the ceiling, others low and barely taller than a cat. There were vehicles built of shoddy wood and steel, half-finished costumes draped over every ledge and railing, and exposed remotes and machines with dangling wires and blinking lights.  
Filling the spaces were plates crusted with crumbs and dried frosting, most discolored and slightly fuzzy.  
Dingo and Stephanie carefully maneuvered the filthy plates and strange sculptures that leered overhead.  
“Cake…maybe rum cake? Being shit-faced might explain all these…pieces.” Dingo mumbled as he gently kicked some plates aside.  
“First of all, no more rude words Mr. Dingo. Second, I don’t _think_ Robbie drinks? But I guess if he did he _would_ take it in cake.” Stephanie answered in hushed voice.  
The two continued their trek, dodging ever increasing piles of broken metal pieces and a few scattered plates. Stephanie’s gaze darted about, gazing at the piles of junk, until her gaze fell upon a workbench covered in long rolls of blue paper.  
And sitting in front of said workbench, looking disheveled and staring out at the space in front of him, was Robbie.  
“Robbie!” exclaimed Stephanie before catching herself. “Uh, sorry! We didn’t mean to break in, but we wanted to check on you and tell you something!”  
Robbie, however, didn’t respond.  
Dingo frowned uncomfortably, his arms crossed.  
Stephanie quirked an eyebrow.  
“Robbie?” she asked as she reached forward and tapped his shoulder.

Robbie yelped and flailed about, finally turning to look at the duo.  
Both Dingo and Stephanie jumped back before cringing at the sight.  
At least they didn’t have to ask if he was sleeping; those dark circles answered that question quite indisputably.  
The villain, his vest wrinkled and one sleeve rolled up, looked at the two with wide eyes, a few strands of hair falling onto his face.  
Then, rather suddenly, he stood up stalk straight, even as his balance wobbled.  
“Pinky! What are you doing in _my_ villainous lair! Don’t you know that I am very busy planning?” He asked with a frown.  
“Planning?” asked Stephanie.  
“Yes! No duh!”  
“Planning what?” asked Dingo.  
“What else? To get you kids to quiet down for once in your lives!” Robbie said with a slightly unhinged laugh.  
“I’m not a kid.” Dingo remarked flatly.  
“O-Oh, right! Is that what…what all _this_ is?” asked Stephanie as she gestured to the contraptions.  
Robbie grinned proudly.  
“You’ve noticed! Truly you can recognize the signature Robbie Rotten handiwork! All gorgeous, all perfect,”  
“All unfinished.” Dingo noted.  
Robbie’s face twitched.  
“W-Well, yes! Because I-I have better ideas! Plenty! Have to figure out the best way to keep you kids quiet!”  
“But Robbie, we haven’t played outside all month. Nobody’s really been feeling up to it since – “  
“Ah, ah, shh! Heh, no! Nope! No!” Robbie hushed frantically, his expression wobbling. “Y-You don’t know how noisy you kids are! Even when you’re not trying, you’re noisy! Like elephants walking on boomboxes!”  
“Uh…” Dingo started.  
“Just leave me! Have to get back to all my planning to get you kids quiet and keep S – “  
Robbie suddenly froze. Dingo and Stephanie looked at him worriedly.  
Robbie chuckled uneasily, his shoulders slacking and his arms swinging limply.  
“K-Keep Sport…keep him…keep _you kids_ quiet but also…” Robbie continued, his smile rapidly failing.  
Finally, it failed.  
He shuddered and fell back into his seat, his face growing gray as he stared blankly at the floor.  
“What the hell am I doing? What’s the point?” He asked himself mindlessly. “This isn’t necessary anymore, you kids…you kids are quiet on your _own_ now.”  
Dingo and Stephanie looked at each other with helpless glances until Robbie uttered a shuddered laugh and shook his head.  
“It’s what it was all about, wasn’t it? The contraptions, the machines…just to get rid of _him_. Stupid Robbie should’ve known. Tried to distract yourself from thinking of him by making machines, only to remind yourself again, stupid…” He muttered, his knuckles gently rapping the sides of his head.  
Stephanie, frowning sadly, stepped forward with a hand outstretched.  
“I’m sorry Robbie, I didn’t realize you weren’t doing well.” She said quietly. “I-I bet I could get the others to be noisy again if it’d help – “  
“No, no, you stupid pink girl! You think that your noise is why I’m upset??” Robbie snarled, him looking up with watering eyes.  
Stephanie flinched and recoiled. In return, Robbie winced and looked at her defeatedly.  
“Spit it out, Robbie. Not like it’s a secret or anything.” Dingo said simply.  
Robbie shot a glare at the man.  
“What? What’s up, Robbie?” asked Stephanie quietly.  
Robbie looked at her with a pained expression, his lips forming a thin line.  
Dingo sighed and shook his head.  
“You’re a smart kid, connect the dots. Think about what he said.” He said.

Stephanie looked down thoughtfully, thinking through Robbie’s words.  
Suddenly, she froze.  
“Wait…you _like_ Sportacus?” Asked Stephanie. “As in, _like_ like?”

Robbie’s face instantly shifted from gray to red, tears rolling down his face as he stared conflictedly at this menace of a pink girl who, now, seemed like the closest he’d get to a sympathetic presence. Dingo certainly wasn’t going to be that.  
Stephanie’s expression melted at the sight of tears.  
“Oh Robbie…I’m sorry.” She said.  
Robbie hiccupped and furiously wiped away the tears.  
“Don’t laugh.” He muttered. “It’s stupid and hopeless, I know. I never said a damn thing and now he’s gone. What does it matter, should just get over it. And you two should just leave me.”  
With that, Robbie turned himself around and buried himself in his schematics.  
Stephanie looked back at Dingo with a sad gaze, her eyes pleading and her hands bunched up by her throat, clasping each other.  
Dingo nodded and stepped forward.  
“Look, uh, Robbie, I know you’re going through some tough crap right now. Believe me, heartache isn’t great, but there’s good news. Uh, I mean, sort of. For half of it.” He said.  
Robbie sniffled, but refused to turn around.  
“Robbie…he’s alive.”  
He could see Robbie’s shoulders visibly tense.  
“Yeah…I know that might be a lot to take in, especially after, you know, all of that.” Dingo noted awkwardly. “But I saw him on the television. We think, possibly, Primal has done something to keep him in their ranks so, uh, we’re thinking of a rescue mission. You game?”  
The tension in Robbie’s body seemed to strengthen, his gaze still directed to the far wall. He had yet to look back at Dingo or Stephanie. His hands gripped hard at the workbench.  
Stephanie’s brows knitted.  
“R-Robbie?” She asked cautiously.

The two waited, both watching uneasily as Robbie continued to remain quiet, his knuckles whitening.

Then, rather suddenly, he laughed a sputtered laugh. His head dropped down and gently laid against the workbench, his laughter muffled.

Dingo and Stephanie looked at each other confusedly.  
“Uh, Robbie?” asked Dingo.  
Robbie sniffed and coughed another laugh.  
“This man…I _swear_ …he owes me at least a dozen cakes after this.” He laughed and choked, clearing his throat. “He’s almost more trouble than it’s worth.”  
Dingo just shrugged in response, earning him an elbow from Stephanie.  
“To be fair, I’m pretty sure there’s a reason he either survived or faked his death. He’s not doing this to yank you around.” He noted.  
“I _know_ that, but…listen I’ve had a meltdown for the last month.” Robbie started.  
“ _No_.” Dingo gasped sarcastically.  
“Dingo, rude.” Stephanie hissed.  
“I just need to get this out of my system. Excuse me please.” Robbie said as he reached for a bolt of fabric.

Dingo and Stephanie watched as Robbie plunged his face into the plushy fabric. Near faintly, like a low hum, they could hear the consistent, droning sound of a muffled scream from the man, the fluff tickling his ears.  
He continued for several seconds, nearly several minutes, never raising his head to breathe.  
“Uh…” Dingo started worriedly.  
Then, just like that, Robbie’s head shot up.  
“Okay, think I’m good.” He said with a slight gasp.  
He sniffed and wiped his tears away furiously.  
“So, what’s the plan?” Robbie said, slapping his hands on his thighs as he spun around.  
Dingo, slightly taken aback, cleared his throat and crossed his arms.  
“Pretty simple. We find Primal’s hideout, break in, get him out. Simple as that.” He answered.  
“And the guards? Where would Sportacus be? Do you even _know_ where the hideout is?” asked Robbie.  
Dingo shook his head.  
“I have a few contacts in a neighboring city. If luck is on our side, they’re still keeping an eye on their activities and should have some rough coordinates for us. Everything else after that is up in the air.”  
“Oh _goody_.” Robbie groaned.  
“Hey, hey! We’ll be okay! Remember, there’s always a way!” Stephanie said in a weak, strained smile.  
Robbie gave her a look.  
Stephanie shrunk back.  
“Maybe Dingo’s contacts have some ideas?” She suggested.  
“Possibly. Only one problem left though: no transportation. The city is a few hours away, and the bus isn’t an option.” Dingo said.

“I think I have a solution for that at least.” Robbie said with a weak, half-smile.

\--

If anything, Robbie’s car looked like something that Robbie would make.

How much of a compliment that was was up for debate.

To Dingo, it was an absolute eyesore of purple metal, toothy spikes, and less than conspicuous exhaust pipes curving up and under the carriage of the car. The front grill itself looked like it was gritting its teeth at whomever it faced.  
To Stephanie, however, it was quite familiar.  
“Hey, isn’t that the car you raced against us in? How is it still in one piece?” She asked curiously.  
“For your information, I don’t toss the inventions I make. When I can, I _repair_ them. This baby was one of them. She’s good as new.” Robbie said, patting the hood.  
“Looks a little…cramped. And not exactly stealthy.” Dingo noted.  
“Look, do you want a ride or not? Get in.” Robbie said as he pulled down his driving goggles.  
Stephanie lost the draw and ended up in the middle seat.  
As Robbie prepared to enter the driver’s seat, Dingo grabbed his shoulder.  
“Yeah no, you look like you’ve slept as much as the kid. I’m driving.” He said.  
“And what makes you think I’d let you? This car is my baby!” Robbie protested.  
“Because if you want to rescue Sportacus, I think us getting in a car crash from your sleepless driving is a bit counterintuitive.” Dingo said darkly.  
Robbie’s mouth opened, then shut. He sighed and stepped away, giving his goggles to Dingo.

Dingo slid the goggles over his eyes and started the ignition, flames and smoke spewing out of the exhaust pipes. With a sharp jerk, he swung them onto the road and directed themselves west out of town.  
Adjusting the newly installed side mirrors, he glanced for a moment to his side.  
Indeed, just as he guessed, both Stephanie and Robbie had passed out as soon as they sat in the car. Stephanie curled up into a ball against Robbie’s arm. Robbie’s head was rolled back against the back of the seat, a low snore droning from him.  
Dingo sighed and looked back at the road, his arm resting on the top of the door.

The car tore down the road, directed towards the beginning of their rescue mission. To a degree, Dingo was jealous of how Robbie and Stephanie could sleep.  
Cause if it was him?  
He wouldn’t admit it, but sleep was the last thing he thought he could have.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And hey here we go, our friends off to rescue! Hopefully it goes smoothly and nothing tragic happens lol.
> 
> Cheers for referencing episodes I haven't seen yet (well one episode, but oh well).
> 
> Might be a bit for the next chapter, but hopefully you're all enjoying this story so far.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> You wouldn't believe how tough it is to write a summary that isn't chock full of spoilers. Still not sure if it's completely spoiler free, but I guess we'll see ;D
> 
> Beware the tags on this one! Spoilers will eventually get tagged.
> 
> I'm hoping everyone enjoys this one. I can't say much yet, but it should be fun.
> 
> Thank you for reading!


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